The Truth in Myths and Fairy Tales
by Celestina Van Helsing
Summary: *An AU Version of The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang* The Pandorica is opening, or so says a message that has traversed all of time itself, and Robyn can only hope her father can stop it before it's too late. 4th in a series called 'A Daughter of Time'.
1. Prologue

**OoOoOoOoO**

Somehow, Robyn realised, she was floating, high above a house in Provence, France, in the year eighteen-ninety... above a _very_ familiar house. But there was no way she could be back there again, could there? She was asleep, tucked up safely in her bed on the TARDIS, wasn't she? Robyn shook her head, trying to clear it from all the conflicting ideas, and then felt a light hand touch her shoulder, and she suddenly became aware of the fact that she was not alone. She looked up, into the face of her companion, and gasped. She'd only seen the face in front of her once before, and that was in a photograph her father had shown her.

It was Rose Tyler...

But at the same time, it _wasn't_ Rose Tyler.

"Hello Robyn," greeted the being who was both Rose Tyler, and not Rose Tyler.

"Um, hello," the little girl returned, still confused by what was going on.

The being who was both Rose Tyler, and not Rose Tyler, laughed, and smiled even brighter. "You don't need to fear, Robyn," she (for that was the only pronoun Robyn could think of that worked in context) said. "I'm a friend, a very dear friend, of your father's, and I need your help."

Robyn cocked her head to the side. "Why do you need _my_ help?" she asked. "What can I do, that someone else can't?"

"You can dream, and help those who stopped believing in fairytales to believe again."

"I can?"

The being who was both Rose Tyler, and not Rose Tyler nodded. "You can," she echoed. "But you must also give your father a warning."

"A warning?" Robyn replied, beginning to feel confused again. "From who?"

"From me... the Bad Wolf."

Robyn's eyes widened. The Bad Wolf, as her father had told her, only appeared when things were at their darkest. When the universe was in the greatest, gravest, danger. "What do I need to do?"

The Bad Wolf took her by the hand. "There are things you need to see first," she said sadly. "Beginning with that house down there."

Before she knew what was happening, Robyn felt herself disappear, then reappear in the main room of the home belonging to Vincent Van Gogh. The man in question was lying on a couch, crying and screaming, as something tormented his mind. His only companions were a man, and a woman, and to Robyn's horror, she recognised them both.

"That's Dr. Gachet," she murmured, recalling the man from his likeness in the Musee d'Orsay. "And that's the mother of the poor girl who got killed by the Krafayis." Robyn frowned. "What's she doing here?"

"That's Madame Vernet," the Bad Wolf replied. "Vincent's landlady. She assists the good doctor whenever she can, but she's at her wit's end." The Bad Wolf shook her head sadly. "Vincent doesn't have much time left, I'm afraid."

Tears formed in the corners of the little girl's eyes. "Uncle Vincent..." she said sadly, reaching out to the distraught man. But he didn't hear her, nor did he see her, continuing to fight against all Dr. Gachet's efforts to calm him down. She looked up at the Bad Wolf. "What are they saying?"

"Madame Vernet is exasperated that the entire village have to listen to his screaming," the Bad Wolf explained. "But Dr. Gachet knows that Vincent can't help it, because he's very ill."

Robyn nodded. She knew the artist was due to die quite soon after she, Amy, and the Doctor, had left him, but to see him in this way... when she could almost _feel_ when he was about to die, was the most heartbreaking thing she'd been through in her relatively short life. She wiped the tears from her face, then realised that Dr. Gachet, and Madame Vernet were now looking something that was resting on a nearby easel. "What are they saying now?" she asked.

"Vincent's painted another painting," the Bad Wolf told her. "But the subject is nothing that the good doctor and landlady have seen before. Madame Vernet believes it's worse than his other paintings, but we know better, don't we?"

Robyn smiled slightly, then nodded.

"But now it's time to leave this place, and move to our next destination," the Bad Wolf announced, taking her by the hand.

"But... can't I see Uncle Vincent's painting?"

The Bad Wolf shook her head. "Not yet, little one, you'll see it at the same time as your father, and not a moment sooner. But you _do_ need to see how it gets to him."

But before Robyn could protest any further, everything around her went dark, and then almost immediately became light again, as they two of them left Vincent's house, and reappeared in a place that she did not recognise. She looked around in alarm. "Where are we now?" She paused. "_When_ are we now?"

"Nineteen-forty, in the Cabinet War Rooms of Winston Churchill himself."

"But I've never been here before." said Robyn, looking around in confusion. "Why have you brought me here?"

Wordlessly, the Bad Wolf led her into an office, where two men were standing before a painting, which had been propped up on a chair, while they studied it. To Robyn's annoyance, she still couldn't see the subject of the painting, even though it was right there in front of her. She wanted to walk around the other side and catch a glimpse, but she knew the Bad Wolf wouldn't allow it. "What are they saying?" she asked.

"The man with the gloved hand," the Bad Wolf began, "is not really a man. Well, not a man of flesh and blood, at least. That is Edwin Bracewell, and he's brought Van Gogh's painting to Prime Minister Churchill because he believes the painting is a message, as you already know, and he believes that they are meant to deliver it to your father."

Robyn frowned. "But how are they meant to do that?"

The Bad Wolf smiled cryptically. "You'll see in a moment..."

Looking back at the two men, Robyn noticed that the man with the cigar, Prime Minister Churchill, as the Bad Wolf had called him, was now sitting at his desk, dialling a number into his telephone. "He's trying to call my father, isn't he?" she asked, glancing up at the Bad Wolf hopefully.

"Yes, he's trying to call your father," she confirmed. "But the call won't reach him, because the TARDIS will divert the call to someone else." She looked down at Robyn, and smiled again. "Would you like to see who receives the call?"

"You're probably going to show me anyway," Robyn replied, as the world around her dissolved once again.

When the world came back, the light around Robyn was no longer candlelight, or the warm electric light of the Cabinet War Rooms. This light was green, and dark, and Robyn could hear rain outside, not unlike when she was floating above Vincent's house. She wondered who could possibly be in this strange place that Prime Minister Churchill would call, when he really wished to speak to her father.

"This is Stormcage," the Bad Wolf told her. "The TARDIS has diverted the call here, because she believes one of the prisoners here will be able to help your father."

Robyn looked up at her in confusion. "Prisoners?" she asked incredulously. "This is a prison?"

The Bad Wolf nodded. "There's one prisoner here that knows your father quite well," she replied. "Although their time streams haven't hit the middle ground yet. Your father knows how she is going to die, but doesn't know anything about her beyond that."

Just then, the telephone on the wall started to ring, and a guard, who was making his rounds, moved to answer it. There seemed to be a little confusion on the guard's part, until a woman in the opposite cell, who was reading a blue book, stood and wrapped her hands around the bars.

By now, Robyn was getting frustrated that she couldn't hear what was being said. "What are they saying?" she asked again.

"That is Doctor River Song," the Bad Wolf explained. "She was imprisoned here in Stormcage for killing a man, but she works regularly to obtain a pardon. One of your father's recent adventures was one of her missions. The TARDIS has diverted Prime Minister Churchill's call here, to her, and once she's learnt about the painting, she will escape and attempt to contact your father." She took Robyn's hand again. "There's not much time left," she said, "and we still have a few more places to go."

And before Robyn could stop her, the Bad Wolf made the world go dark once again, but this time, the world did not become light again. Through the darkness, Robyn could make out lots, and lots, of picture frames, frames that still had the paintings in them, even though quite a few looked worse for wear. She could also see River Song, prowling between the paintings as if she were looking for one of them in particular. She approached one of the paintings, running her torch over it to get a better look... then ripped it straight for the frame and rolled it up.

Robyn shook her head in disbelief. "What's going on?" she asked, as the world suddenly brightened. "Why is River stealing that painting?"

"Because it's the painting your father needs to see," the Bad Wolf explained. "And the woman who turned on the lights is Queen Elizabeth the Tenth."

"But why is she pointing a gun at River?"

"Simply protecting her property." The Bad Wolf went on to explain that the Doctor had helped the Queen a very long time ago, according to her personal time line, and that by helping River, she believed she was fulfilling her debt to the Time Lord. "And now, we move on," she continued. "To the next stop on our, and River's, journey."

The transition was much faster this time, as the world changed as soon as the Bad Wolf snapped her fingers. There were suddenly aliens of all shapes and size all around her, all of whom were customers of the bar the Bad Wolf had brought her to.

"There," said the Bad Wolf, pointing to the booth opposite the bar. "River again, this time acquiring a vortex manipulator, which your father will find very handy later on."

Suddenly Robyn grew very afraid. Something about the Bad Wolf's stance, the cold hard look she was giving River, even though River herself couldn't see either of them, terrified her. Why did it seem like something bad was going to happen when her father used this 'vortex manipulator' and why it did it feel like it had something to do with that vision she had on Aickman Road? She turned to the Bad Wolf, intending to ask her what was going on, why she had shown her this journey, both River's, and the painting's, but stopped when she realised that everything had gone dark. The bar was gone, and now she, and the Bad Wolf, were standing in complete and total darkness.

And they were completely alone.

"It's amazing the things that can happen in the course of one night, isn't it?" said the Bad Wolf, sitting down on the floor... if there _was_ a floor. "All of that, in one night, and yet across hundreds of years."

"Why did you show me those things?" Robyn asked at last, sitting down opposite her. "Because I'm not sure I'm meant to tell my Dad exactly what I saw, but you still want me to warn him." She frowned. "Warn him about what?"

The Bad Wolf reached out, touching her face delicately, and tucking her hair behind her ears. "Things have been set in motion, and your father must be ready to face them. The Silence is coming, and I know _how_ it will come about, but I can't help him this time... I can't save him this time." A look of anguish came over the Bad Wolf's features, and Robyn knew this was the part of her that was Rose shining through.

"And you want me to act in your place."

"As much as you're able."

Robyn was quite for a few moments, then nodded. "I'll do it."

The Bad Wolf's smile was radiant, and she gathered the little girl into a warm hug. "Thank you," she said softly. "You won't regret a thing, and once you've played your part, your reward will be waiting for you."

But before Robyn could ask her what she meant, or ask her what her reward might be... the Bad Wolf vanished...

And she woke up.

**OoOoOoOoO**


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

It was just an ordinary day in the TARDIS, or so it seemed, as Robyn and Amy waited for the Doctor to figure out where he was going to take them.

What trouble he could get them into.

Amy was unusually quiet, and had been ever since she found the red velvet ring box. She'd managed to keep the box hidden, until she was ready to confront the Doctor about it, but she took it out quite often to look at the ring and try to understand who, or what, it might be for. It was possible that the Doctor was going to propose to someone... maybe River? But that didn't seem likely because he barely knew River, from his side of their 'relationship' anyway.

Meanwhile, Robyn was thinking about her dream. The Bad Wolf had wanted to her to see the painting's journey for a reason, but what was it? And she was supposed to warn her father, but _what_ was she supposed to warn him about? But she didn't get to think about it for very long, when the man in question stuck his head over the edge of the platform around the console.

"Vavoom!" said the Doctor, his hair flopping as he dangled in front of his daughter and his companion.

Amy looked unimpressed. "Va-what?"

When the Doctor didn't reply straight away, both girls scrambled to their feet, emerging from underneath the platform and joining him by the console. They watched in amusement as he danced around, pulling levers left right and centre, but it still didn't help that they didn't know where they were going.

"I can't _believe_ I've never thought of this before!" he exclaimed, throwing another switch, and then pulling another lever. "It's _genius_!"

Robyn frowned, finding this a very odd thing for her father to say, but didn't reply.

The Doctor threw one last switch, and the TARDIS landed with a hard thud. "Right. Landed, come on."

Amy wound her scarf around her neck. "Where are we?"

"Planet One, the oldest planet in the universe," the Doctor replied, "and there's a cliff of pure diamond, and according to legend, on the cliff there's writing; letters fifty feet high, a message from the dawn of time, and no one knows what it says, cause no one's ever translated it." He grinned. "Til today."

Robyn looked confused. "Until today?"

"What happens today?" asked Amy.

The Doctor tapped Amy's nose. "Us. The TARDIS can translate anything," he explained. "All we have to do is open the doors, and read the _very_ first words in recorded history!"

He held out his hands to both girls, and then led them outside, where a shining cliff-face loomed in front of them, a massive edifice rising from the ground amongst the huge palm fronds and gigantic mushrooms. Robyn looked up at the cliff-face apprehensively... then smiled... and then started to laugh!

Now Amy really _was_ impressed. "Vavoom," she breathed, the Doctor looked on, particularly pleased with himself.

Right there, high on the cliff-face, were words, exactly as the Doctor had said there would be. But they weren't the ancient words of wisdom one might expect on the oldest cliff-face in the universe, not by a long shot. These words were much more personal, and Robyn had the odd feeling she knew who put them there, and from the expression on her father's face, she was certain that he knew _exactly_ who put them there.

There, written on the cliff, were the words "Hello, sweetie," the symbols for "Theta Sigma", and a set of time-space coordinates.

"River," said the Doctor, uttering an exasperated sigh. "I should've known." He took Robyn by the hand. "Come on, we better see what she wants. It's _got_ to be important if she goes to the point of graffitiing the oldest cliff-face in history." He took a pen and notebook from his coat pocket, and wrote down the coordinates that were carved into the rock. "There. We're done here."

Amy frowned. "What, we're leaving already?"

"Yes. Now that we've got the coordinates, it's better we were on our way sooner than later."

"Why can't we go exploring?"

"Because whatever River wants me for must be urgent, so we shouldn't waste any more time here."

Amy sighed, and shook her head, knowing that she wasn't going to get her way _this_ time. "Okay, okay, let's go."

The three of them went back into the TARDIS, and the Doctor used the typewriter to enter the coordinates, then began the de-materialisation sequence, racing around the console and throwing switches and levers with abandon. The room shivered and shook, and Robyn held on tightly to the railing for the duration of the flight. Then the familiar screaming, screeching, grinding noise filled the air, and she knew that they were about to land.

As they left in the time ship for the second time that day, Robyn couldn't but feel an inexplicable combination of excitement and dread. Going to new places was always exciting, but she could do without the danger sometimes... although the running _did_ give her a bit of a thrill. The TARDIS gave one last jolt, and Robyn slipped, falling to the floor with a thud. "So," she said, as the Doctor picked her up. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," he replied, taking her by the hand. "Let's go see."

The trio left the Police Box, emerging on a hillside, which was overlooking a wide plateau. "Right place?" asked Amy, closing the door behind her.

"Just followed the coordinates on the cliff-face," the Doctor replied, starting to head down the hill. "Earth. Britain. 1:02 am." He let go of Robyn's hand, and tapped his watch. "No, pm."

"Still wrong, Dad," said Robyn, her eyes widening at the sight at the bottom of the hill.

The Doctor looked up... and understood what she was talking about. "No... _AD_."

"That's a Roman Legion," said Amy, looking at the Roman soldiers with wonder.

And it was. Hundreds upon thousands of tents lay before them, the sounds of the soldiers going about their daily tasks filling the air. Robyn had never seen so many tents in the one place before, and she couldn't wait to get a closer look at them. She wondered if they might get a chance to see inside... then she shook her head.

She had more important things to think about than what went on inside the tents of Roman soldiers.

"The Romans invented Britain several times during this period," the Doctor explained, screwing up his face in concentration.

Amy looked at him smugly. "Oh, I know," she replied. "My favourite topic at school. 'Invasion of the Hot Italians'."

Robyn giggled. "But Italy didn't even exist... _doesn't _even exist," she said. "So the Romans were just Romans. They weren't Italian."

"Yeah, I did get marked down for the title."

But neither Robyn, nor the Doctor, were listening anymore, noticing someone running up the hill towards them. It was one of the soldiers from the camp below, his armour clinking and clattering as he ran towards the three of them. When he was in front of them, he saluted, declaring "Hail Caesar," as he knelt on the ground. The soldier had a telltale pink smear on his mouth, and Robyn realised that River Song must be around somewhere nearby.

The Doctor looked at the Roman in confusion, then decided to play along. "Hi," he greeted, putting on an air that he hoped displayed some form of regality.

"Welcome to Britain," the soldier continued, bowing as he spoke. "We are honoured by your presence."

"Well, you're only human," the Doctor replied. "Arise... Roman person."

"Why does he think you're Caesar?" asked Amy, leaning over so the soldier didn't hear her.

The soldier bowed once more, then stood. "Cleopatra will see you now," he said, leading the trio down the rest of the hill, and into the camp.

If the camp looked busy from the outside, it certainly felt busy when the Doctor, Amy, and Robyn, were led through it. Soldiers were polishing their armour, sharpening their weapons, tending their horses. Robyn had only seen horses once before, when Miss Faversham had taken all the girls in the orphanage on a day trip to a local stable and riding school. She started to move toward the horses, hoping to get a closer look, but the Doctor held her back.

"Stay close to me," he warned. "We don't want you getting lost, or trampled."

Robyn nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Yes, Dad."

The soldier led them straight to one of the tents next, and they were bathed in torchlight as soon as they were inside. There was a woman reclining on a couch, being served wine and other refreshments. She was dressed in full Egyptian regalia, as befitting a Pharaoh, or a Queen, perhaps, but there was no doubt in the Doctor's, Amy's, or Robyn's minds who the woman really was.

The woman smiled. "Hello Sweetie," she greeted, taking a sip of her wine.

This was River Song.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Amy was clearly amused, but not at all surprised, by River's presence. "River. Hi," she greeted.

But the Doctor was less than impressed, considering the measures the woman had taken to get them there. "You graffitied the oldest cliff-face in the universe," he said, keeping his voice low and getting straight to the point.

"You wouldn't answer your phone," River shot back, and Robyn couldn't help herself but laugh, because she remembered the telephone ringing, and the Doctor leaving it alone every single time... but then she stopped, realising that _this_ might have been the reason why the Bad Wolf had shown her River's, and the painting's, journey. If her father had paid attention to the telephone back on the TARDIS, then River would never have needed to go to Planet One and write the words into the cliff, and they would probably have been here much sooner.

River clapped her hands, and one of the servants brought her a rolled up piece of paper.

A rolled up piece of paper that Robyn recognised immediately.

Holding out the paper, River smiled.

"What's this?" the Doctor asked, looking at it apprehensively.

"It's a painting," River replied. "Your friend Vincent." The Doctor snatched the painting from River's hands, taking it to the desk nearby to study it. "One of his final works," she continued as he spread it out, unrolling the paper across the surface of the desk. "He had visions, didn't he? I thought you ought to know about this one."

Amy stared at the painting, wide eyed, and in shock. "Doctor?" she murmured, a bad feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. "Doctor, what is this?"

The Doctor didn't answer straight away, the wheels in his head turning as he tried to figure out what it meant, what had driven the artist to paint such a disastrous image. He'd known the TARDIS was going to explode at some point; he'd known even before he'd adopted Robyn, and it _still_ scared him. He had no idea how she was going to take the news, especially after she'd said she considered the ancient time ship her home.

"Dad, what is it?" Robyn asked softly. "Can I see?" When he didn't reply, her face darkened. "I can handle it," she said, drawing close to his side. She looked up at him with sad eyes. "Please?"

River looked at the little girl with interest. "It's all right, Doctor, you can show her. Your daughter's a very, _very_, capable child." She smiled. "And she takes after her father, if I remember correctly."

Forgetting what she was asking for a moment, Robyn looked at River in surprise. "How do you know who I am?" she said. "This is the first time I've _met_ you." She frowned. "Have you met me before now, but that meeting hasn't happened yet from my perspective?"

River's smile widened. "Spoilers!" she said gleefully. "You're a smart child, but I'm not going to tell you if you're right."

Robyn nodded slowly, then turned back to her father. "Please, Dad," she begged. "I want to see Uncle Vincent's painting."

The Doctor sighed, then let the little girl poke through underneath his arm, so she could take a closer look at the painting. "If it upsets you, then don't be afraid to let it out," he said, hugging her gently. "Don't hold back on my account."

"I'll be fine, Dad," Robyn replied, smiling up at him. "Just... don't go away."

"Never."

Robyn swallowed, then looked down at the painting that had haunted her dream... and gasped. Wisps and tendrils made of oil paint swirled across the paper, depicting huge, bright, terrifying, balls of orange and yellow flame converging around a central object against the murky dark blue, dark purple background... an object she knew very well, and loved very dearly.

It was the TARDIS.

And it was _exploding_.

Before she could say a word, the Doctor led her away, making her sit down in a nearby chair so she didn't fall down from the shock. She looked at her father with tears in her eyes, unable to get the terrible image out of her mind. Now she understood why the Bad Wolf had not let her see it in her dream, when she was alone, and without the Doctor to comfort her when she needed it the most. And after what she'd seen, she certainly needed her father at that moment, more than ever.

The Doctor crouched in front of her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have let you see that, not after what you said on Aickman Road."

"I... " Robyn began, but stopped when she felt a lump form in her throat. Then she felt the Doctor gather her in his arms and hug her, and then set her back down on the chair . "Dad, is that really going to happen?" she asked tearfully, hoping that he would reply in the negative.

"I don't know," he said wearily. "I honestly don't know, but I'm hoping it can be fixed just as much as you do."

Robyn nodded sadly, then hugged her father again. "Thank you."

Despite this, Amy was still scared. "_Why's_ it exploding?" she asked.

River shook her head. "I assume it's some kind of warning."

"I know," Robyn said suddenly, getting to her feet shakily. "I know it's a warning. Because I dreamt about it, I dreamt about you taking it, so you could bring it here." She looked at the Doctor fearfully. "Something bad is going to happen, Dad, she told me so, in my dream -"

The Doctor's face darkened. "Who told you?" he asked suddenly, inspecting his daughter's face carefully. "What did you see?"

"She told me she was the Bad Wolf."

"The Bad Wolf," the Doctor echoed, his face draining of colour. "The Bad Wolf came to you in your dreams? When?"

"Last night."

Amy looked at both of them in confusion. "What? Who's the Bad Wolf?" she demanded. "And is something going to happen to the TARDIS?"

"It might not be that literal," River replied, studying the painting again. "Anyway this is where he wanted you; date and map reference on the door sign, see?" She shook her head. "As to the Bad Wolf, only the Doctor really knows who _she_ is, except that she was the greatest love of his life." She frowned. "Although, you do have a tendency to blow things all out of proportion sometimes, Doctor."

The Doctor remained silent for a few moments, ignoring River's comments, because he was still processing his daughter's admission. When he was ready, he looked up at her and asked, "Does it have a title?"

"The Pandorica Opens."

_So this is the day the Pandorica, whatever it is, opens,_ the Doctor mused. _Right after the _Bad Wolf _- no - _Rose_ appears to Robyn and tells her she has to warn me about something. _He couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of it. Even though he'd left her in the parallel universe with his clone, she still managed to find a way to look out for him, making sure that he never forgot her. But the fact that she'd appeared to Robyn was quite worrying, despite how it much pleased him to know that she was still around in spirit.

But Amy was surprised by the revelation that the Doctor had been in love before, not to mention the fact that the person he was in love with was also, supposedly, a legend in her own right. She was about to question him about her, when he looked at her sharply, and she knew that the Bad Wolf was a subject best left alone for the time being. "The Pandorica," she said instead, turning back to River. "What is it?"

"A box, a cage, a prison. It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe."

"And it's a fairy tale, a legend," the Doctor interrupted, standing abruptly. "It _can't_ be real!"

Robyn looked up at him as he paced the room. "But myths, legends, fairy tales, a lot of them have a basis on fact." She swallowed. "Which means it _could_ be real."

"But if it _is_ real," River added, "it's here, and it's _opening_, and it's got _something_ to do with your TARDIS exploding." The Doctor quickly grabbed several rolled up maps, and spread them out across the painting, cross-referencing the directions between them and the ones Vincent painted, but River was sceptical. "Hidden obviously, buried for centuries," she continued "You _won't _find it on a map!"

"No," the Doctor agreed, looking up from the map in front of him. "But if you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe, you'd want to remember _where_ you put it!"

Robyn stood from her seat, and joined the rest of them at the desk. "So we find it," she murmured, determination steadily creeping into her voice. "And we find out what's inside it, so we can stop it from coming out."

**OoOoOoOoO**

No less than a hour later, allowing River time to change from her Cleopatra outfit, the four of them were away, riding on horseback across the plateau, and following the map reference Vincent had sent them. Robyn was perched precariously in front of the Doctor, the wind billowing around them as the horse's hooves churned the loam underneath them. It was the most amazing thing she'd ever experienced in her life, sitting there on the back of that beautiful ebony beast with her father being the only thing keeping her from falling. It was glorious, but it was terrifying at the same time. None of them had any idea what they were going to find when they arrived at their destination, which heightened the excitement, and made the journey even more important.

Suddenly, the ancient monument, Stonehenge, loomed on the horizon. The stones stood exactly as Robyn had remembered them from all the books she'd read, both in the TARDIS library, and back at the orphanage, rising from the ground like sentinels guarding the land around them. This, as the Doctor had quickly figured out, was where the Pandorica had been buried in a chamber far under the earth called the Underhenge. The Underhenge itself had been considered as much a myth as the Pandorica, for a time, but now that they knew the truth, nothing was going to stand in their way.

The Doctor urged the horse to move faster now, as Stonehenge drew closer and closer. The pounding of the horse's hooves filled his ears, but he ignored it, his eyes firmly on the prize. They were nearly there, and he kept a fairly tight grip on both his daughter, and on the reins, so he didn't lose either of them. If the Pandorica _was_ about to open, and there really _was_ something about to escape, then they would have to be ready for it. Nothing could go wrong. He would have to make sure Amy and Robyn were kept safe, in case anything happened to him... not that he wanted anything to happen to him, since he'd grown to like this version of himself rather quickly, and he didn't want to go through another regeneration quite so soon.

"Whoa," the Doctor breathed, pulling on the reins to bring the animal to a halt as they arrived in front of the standing stones. He quickly dismounted, then turned to help Robyn down as Amy and River joined them. "Robyn, you need to be careful, because if I'm right, and the Pandorica _is_ here, we'll have to find the right stone to open the Underhenge," he told her. "We don't need anyone getting hurt out here before we can fetch the TARDIS."

Robyn nodded. "I'll be careful, Dad, just as long as you are."

The Doctor grinned. "That's my girl." He took his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and started to run it over each stone, scanning them for energy readings as River used her own equipment to do the same.

"How come it's not new?" asked Amy, looking around the stone circle in amazement.

"Because it's already old," River replied, rather unhelpfully. "It's been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long."

Amy shook her head. "Okay, this Pandorica thing," she said, changing the subject abruptly. "Last time we say you, _you_ warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium."

River tapped a finger against her lips. "Spoilers," she replied, warning her against saying anything more.

"No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens."

"Maybe I did," River returned. "But I haven't yet. But I _will _have." She turned to the Doctor, as the control device in her hands beeped again. "Doctor, I'm picking up fry particles, _everywhere_; energy weapons discharged on this site."

The Doctor stepped up on one of the stones, snapping the sonic into the off position and returning it to his coat pocket. "If the Pandorica _is_ here," he announced, "it contains the mightiest warrior in history. Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it." He jumped off, then kneeled down, and inspected the stone carefully, as if listening for something. "We need to get down _there_."

And so, they set to work, putting up several portable fluorescent lights to keep the area well lit after night fell, which came not long after they determined which stone needed to be moved.

"So, this is it?" asked Robyn, as River placed four small devices at each corner of the stone. "This is the entrance to the Underhenge?"

"It certainly is," the Doctor replied, his face gaining an unusual pallor as darkness fell, and the fluorescent lights became more prominent. "And stay back with Amy, so you don't fall."

Amy nodded, then took Robyn by the hand. "Yeah, stay back with me," she agreed. "Then we'll all go down there together, right, Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded. "That's right."

"Right, then," said River, placing the last device on the stone. "Ready." She pushed the appropriate marker on the touch screen, and the four devices burst into life, levering the stone off the ground and moving it to one side. Producing a torch, she pointed it down the open shaft, lighting the way down a stone staircase travelled deep beneath the earth.

"The Underhenge," the Doctor announced reverently.

As the four of them made their descent, Robyn couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread. It had been exciting to think about the Underhenge, and what they were going to find there, but now that they were actually about to enter it, she couldn't help feeling that there was something awfully fishy going on. Why had it been so _easy_ to find it? Why put something in such a recognisable place, and then expect it to be a well guarded secret?

Emerging in the main chamber, the Doctor used the sonic screwdriver to light one of the torches, then removed it from its holder while River did the same to another torch on the other side of the room. Robyn tried to see through the gloom, but to no avail, not until the Doctor used his torch to light River's. The combined light of both torches was a welcome improvement, and it also revealed a very large pair of doors, which had been boarded shut. The Doctor and River lifted the board, dropping it to the floor with a clatter, and then, taking hold of the handles, gave the pair of doors with a mighty push... to reveal the inner most sanctum of the Underhenge...

And the Pandorica.

**OoOoOoOoO**

The four adventurers looked upon the Pandorica in awe, the sight of the gigantic box sending a hush over the group. Robyn couldn't believe her eyes. It was _huge_, big enough to fit a person... several people, if you were small enough, and unlucky enough to be put inside. She shuddered, the thought of being put inside the Pandorica, with no light, and no air, and no one to talk to... it was horrifying. She understood _why_ something might be trying to get out, but to actually let it happen was another story altogether.

"The Pandorica," the Doctor breathed.

"More than just a fairy tale," River replied, flashing him a wry smile.

The Doctor began to move towards the gigantic box, ducking underneath the cobwebs, but he stopped when he brushed against something with his foot.

It was an arm... a _Cyberman's_ arm.

He edged around it carefully, unsure whether it might still be active to some degree, or whether it was well and truly dead. Either way, he wasn't going to take his chances. When he reached the Pandorica itself, he inspected it closely, running his free hand over the design on the side directly in front of him. "There was a goblin," he began, relating the tale of the Pandorica as he knew it. "Or a trickster... or a warrior... a nameless, terrible, thing. Soaked in the blood of a _billion_ galaxies, the most feared being in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky, and tear down your world."

Amy listened to the Doctor's story, becoming intrigued. "How did it end up in there?" she asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"You know fairy tales," the Doctor replied. "A good wizard tricked it."

River rolled her eyes, then handed Amy the torch and pulled out her control device to analyse the Pandorica. "I hate good wizards. They always turn out to be _him_."

Robyn grinned. "So my Dad's a good wizard, huh?" she said with a laugh. "That actually makes sense."

"So," said Amy, waving the torch around for a moment. "It's almost like Pandora's Box, then? Almost the same name."

The Doctor had moved over to the far wall now, placing his torch in the bracket, but he still managed to hear what Amy was saying, for the most part. "I'm sorry, what?"

"The story," Amy continued. "Pandora's Box. With all the worst things in the world in it."

"And hope," Robyn added. "Don't forget about that part. Pandora's Box had all the worst things in the world inside of it, but it also contained hope."

Amy smiled. "That was my favourite book when I was a kid."

Although he'd been scanning the Pandorica, and the area immediately around it, something about this set off alarm bells in his head. This was no coincidence, but he wasn't about to say as much to Amy, and it was too important to ignore. A little misdirection wouldn't go astray either. "_Your_ favourite school topic, _your_ favourite story," he said, approaching Amy and inspecting her carefully. "Never ignore a coincidence... unless you're busy," he hastily added, returning to River's side, "in which case, always ignore a coincidence."

"So, can you open it?" asked River.

"Easily," the Doctor replied. "Anyone can break _into_ a prison, but I'd rather know what I'm going to find first."

"You won't have long to wait," River announced, looking at the reading on her control device with worry. "It's already opening. There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled, one by one. Like it's being," she pressed her ear to the side of the Pandorica, listening closely, "unlocked from the _inside_."

"How long do we have?"

"Hours at the most."

The Doctor frowned. "What _kind_ of security?"

River scanned the Pandorica again. "Everything," she replied. "Deadlocks, time-stops, matter-lines."

"What could need all _that_?"

"What could get _past _all that?" River shot back.

"Think of the fear that went into making this box," the Doctor replied, moving around the side to inspect the design again. "What could inspire _that_ level of fear?" He leaned in close to the box. "Hello you," he murmured. "Have we met?"

"No idea."

Amy coughed. "And _how_ could've Vincent known about it?" she asked. "He won't even be born for centuries."

This made the Doctor stand up straight again, realising something about the stones that surrounded them. He quickly scanned them with the sonic screwdriver. "The stones!" he exclaimed. "These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to _every_ time zone." He flicked the tool and checked the readings. "The Pandorica is opening," he breathed.

River stood, the colour draining from her face as she realised something the Doctor had not thought of yet. "Doctor... everyone, everywhere?"

But the Doctor ignored her. "Even poor old Vincent heard it," he went on, "in his dreams. But _what's _in there? What could justify all this?"

"Doctor, _everyone!_" River repeated, but still the Doctor ignored her.

The Doctor started to pace up and down the room, trying to think of what might be so great, and so terrible, to warrant such a huge prison, and such a wide spread warning system to go with it. "Anything that powerful, I'd know about it. _Why_ don't I know?"

"Doctor," River interrupted. "You said everyone could hear it. So who _else_ is coming?"

The Doctor stopped pacing, turning around slowly and looking at his three companions with horror. "Oh."

"Oh?" Amy echoed, looking back at him in confusion. "Oh, what?"

After a few tense moments, River moved over to the nearest stone, pressing her control device against it to analyse the signal. "Okay, if it _is_ basically a transmitter," she said, "we should be able to fold back the signal."

The Doctor immediately sprang into action. "Doing it!" he cried, running about the room, and waving the sonic through the air to fold the signal back to River's control device.

"Doing what?" Amy and Robyn yelled together, both of them growing fearful.

But the Doctor didn't reply.

"Stonehenge has been transmitting," River explained. "It's been transmitting for a while, so _who_ heard?"

"Okay, should be feeding back to you now," the Doctor announced, continuing to point the sonic at each of the stones. "River, what's out there? Getting anything?"

River worked as quickly as she could, but she wasn't quite ready yet. "Give me a moment, " she said as she waited for the data to finish processing.

The Doctor knew there wasn't any time to waste. "River, quickly, anything?" he prompted urgently.

The wait was agonising, Robyn knew that much, but she also knew it would pay off in the end. Something was coming, something bad; whether it would come from the sky, or from the Pandorica, was anyone's guess. She wondered if the reason she saw River, and the painting, in her dreams was also a result of the transmitter, and she resolved to ask her father about it when she had the chance. It was too important to just let it go.

River stared at the screen on her control device with horror. "Around this planet... there are at least _ten thousand_ starships!"

"At least?" Amy yelped.

"Ten thousand, one hundred thousand," River amended, as the numbers climbed higher and higher. "A million... I don't know. There are too many readings!"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed in concentration. "What kind of starships?" he asked quickly.

And then the voice of hate itself filled the air.

**OoOoOoOoO**

"Maintaining orbit," the voice screamed, as another voice replied, saying, "I obey. Shield cover compromised on ion sectors."

"Daleks," Amy murmured softly, a look of fear creeping onto her face. "Those are Daleks."

_So,_ _that's what a Dalek sounds like_, Robyn thought to herself, as she began to tremble. _Something tells me I wouldn't want to meet one of those in a dark alley._

"Scan detects no temporal activity," the first Dalek voice continued, as the second said, "Soft grid scan commencing."

"Daleks, Doctor," River breathed, as the first Dalek said, "Reverse thrust for compensatory stabilisation."

The Doctor remained deathly quiet and still, as the second Dalek announced, "Launch preliminary armament protocol."

Robyn walked towards him slowly, her legs like jelly, but she didn't care. She reached out and took his hand. "Dad, what are we going to do?" she asked softly.

He looked down at her sadly, then shook his head. "Yes," he said, coming back to life and pacing the room again, dragging Robyn along with him. "Okay, okay, okay, okay. Dalek fleet, minimum twelve thousand battle-ships, armed to the teeth. But we've got surprise on our side!"

Robyn gulped. "We do?"

"They'll never expect four people to attack twelve thousand Dalek battle-ships... cause we'd be _killed_ instantly."

"I was afraid of that," she murmured.

"So it would be a fairly short surprise." The Doctor hit himself with the sonic screwdriver. "Forget surprise."

River moved to the next stone, and new voices filled the air, more mechanical. "Doctor, Cyber-ships."

The Doctor and Robyn whirled around. "No, Dalek ships," he replied, "listen to them. Those are _Dalek_ ships!"

"Yes. Dalek ships, _and_ Cyber-ships!"

"Well, we need to start a fire-fight, turn them on each other. I mean, that's _easy_, it's the Daleks, they're so cross!"

As the Doctor's horror turned into a full blown panic, River ran over to the next stone. "Sontaran," she announced now, tapping the screen of the control device. "Four battle fleets."

"Sontarans! Talk about cross, _who _stole all their handbags?"

Robyn's eyes widened. She'd never seen her father so frightened that he started to _babble_!

As River began to list Terileptils, Slitheen, Chelonian, Nestene, Drahvins, Sycorax, Haemogoths, Zygons, Atraxi, and Draconians, as being the rest of the contingent of otherworldly visitors intending to seize the Pandorica, the Doctor backed towards it, as if each name was a physical blow, then he turned to face the box, his eyes wild with fear. "What are you?" he murmured. "What could you _possibly_ be?" He reached out and touched it one last time, as the sound of the ships above ground grew louder. Then he turned and ran, needing to get back to the surface as quick as he could, River, Amy, and Robyn following close behind.

Robyn had never seen so many lights in the sky before, as the alien ships flew overhead. This was disastrous, and phenomenal, and terrifying, and she had no idea what it all meant, but she knew her father wasn't just going to turn and run away. He'd think of something to hold them off... he always did.

"What do we do?" Amy moaned.

"Doctor, listen to me!" River demanded. "Everything that ever hated you is coming here tonight. You _can't_ win this. You can't even fight it! Doctor, this once, just this one time, _please_, you _have_ to run!"

"Run where?" the Doctor argued.

"Fight _how?_"

The Doctor produced a pair of binoculars from his coat pocket, then looked into them, focusing in the direction they'd come from when they first arrived at Stonehenge. "The greatest military machine in the history of the universe," he murmured, when he found what he was looking for.

"What is?" Amy called. "The Daleks?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no," the Doctor replied, turning and giving them all a small smile, the first they'd seen on his face since the whole mess began. "The _Romans_."

River looked at him, dumbfounded, and more than a little bit miffed that she hadn't thought of it herself. "I can go back to the camp and see if they could provide all or part of the legion for protection," she suggested, putting her control device back in her horse's saddle bag.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, good," he agreed. "And take Robyn with you, she'll be safer that way."

But Robyn was less than impressed by this suggestion. "What?" she squawked, looking up at him in alarm. "No way, I'm _not_ going anywhere, Dad!"

"Robyn, this is no time to argue about it, " he replied, pushing her towards River, which was difficult because she deliberately dug her heels into the dirt to stop him. "You'll be safer with River and the Roman legion."

"No, Dad," Robyn protested emphatically. "I want to stay with you, and Amy. I _don't _want to leave you." She looked at Amy pleadingly. "Please, don't let him send me away. I'll be fine."

Amy looked conflicted. She understood the little girl's reluctance to being sent away, but she also understood the Doctor's position when he wanted his little daughter to be safe. She didn't know what any of the other aliens were like, but she knew that the Daleks were too dangerous to be around, especially for a little kid. "Sorry, Robyn, it's your Dad's choice." She flinched as the child stared at her, open mouthed and reeling from the, in her mind, act of betrayal. "Robyn..."

River watched the three of them, and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure sending her with me is the best option?" she asked. "I think it might be wiser to keep her with you, Doctor."

"_River_," the Doctor said wearily. "We don't have time for this -"

"Your daughter has a connection with the Bad Wolf, Doctor," River replied, cutting him off. "She could have another vision at any time, and if she does, you'll need to be there _when_ she does."

Robyn looked at River in surprise, amazed that she would vouch for her like that. "Uh, yeah," she hastily agreed. "I could have another vision at any time, and if I'm not with you, how will I know what to do about it?"

The Doctor frowned, and he knew River was right. Even if Robyn _was_ safer with her, she might prove more useful there with him. As much as he didn't like it, he was going to have to let her stay. He sighed. "All right, you can stay," he said, taking his daughter by the hand. "But the minute it looks like there might be trouble, you find a place to keep yourself hidden, understand?"

She nodded, positively beaming now. "Yes, Dad!"

Watching the pair with a satisfied smile, River mounted her horse and rode off into the night, leaving the Doctor, Amy, and Robyn, to prepare for the Daleks, and for the rest of the otherworldly visitors, arrival.

**OoOoOoOoO**


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Now that River was gone, Robyn decided that this might be her opportunity to ask her father whether or not her contact with the Bad Wolf was a result of the transmitter. She couldn't figure out why, but she hoped it wasn't, because the thought that the Bad Wolf believed that she could help her father in some small way meant a lot to her.

"Now," the Doctor announced. "We need to go back down there and keep an eye on the Pandorica until River comes back with reinforcements."

Robyn nodded. "Will we see what's inside when it opens?"

The Doctor looked at her uneasily. "I hope not," he replied. "But we may not get a choice in that matter."

"What are we waiting for then?" asked Amy impatiently. "Let's get back down to the Pandorica!"

Without wasting another moment, the three of them returned underground, evading the view of the incoming space ships while they waited for River to return.

As they descended the stairs, Robyn looked at the stones uneasily, not keen on being near them after what they had done to poor Vincent. "Um... Dad?" she asked hesitantly. "There's something I wanted to ask you about the transmitter."

"You mean about your dream, when you saw the Bad Wolf."

Robyn nodded. "Do you think it was like what happened to Uncle Vincent, how he saw what was going to happen to the TARDIS in his dreams?" A nasty thought struck her. "What if he thought we were killed?" she exclaimed. "What if he had the vision of the TARDIS exploding, and the thought of the three of us... the thought of Amy being killed was what set him off the deep end?"

"That's certainly possible..." the Doctor replied, regarding her carefully.

Amy looked at the Doctor sadly. "He did ask me to marry him," she reminded him. "So he must have loved me at some point." She frowned. "Maybe Robyn's right about that."

"Maybe," he agreed. "But I don't think Robyn's dream came from the transmitter, not like Vincent's did."

"So, the Bad Wolf really did come to me?"

The Doctor nodded. "I think she did." He smiled. "I really think she did."

Amy smiled. She liked it when the Doctor was happy, and it looked like there was a chance that he might be willing to tell her about the Bad Wolf, and what she meant to him. "Doctor, who was the Bad Wolf?" she asked quietly. "Why is she such a legend?"

"The Bad Wolf was, and still is, I suppose, the TARDIS... and a human girl I used to travel with," the Doctor replied. "Her name was Rose Tyler, and she was a very dear friend of mine."

"But she was more than a friend to you, though, wasn't she, Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded sadly. "Almost, but I lost her, and I never told her what she meant to me." He almost added, "like you with Rory," then stopped short, remembering that he wouldn't be able to explain that one as just a slip of the tongue. "She's alive, though," he continued, "living with her family in a parallel universe."

Amy frowned. "What, you can travel to parallel universes?" she asked. "How come we've never done that?"

"Because you can't," the Doctor replied. "The walls of the universe have been sealed, although some small holes still exist."

"Like the crack in my wall?"

The Doctor thought for a moment, considering this. "It's certainly a possibility, but I don't think it applies in this case."

"So, why isn't travel between universes possible, Doctor?"

"Because that ability was lost when my world, and my people, died, Amy."

Amy stared at him. She knew he was the very last of his kind, but she didn't think of the implications behind that statement. He really was alone, even when she was with him. Sure, he had Robyn, but how long was that really going to last? The girl was already eight when he'd adopted her, and had only just turned nine in the past week, so realistically, they only had another nine or ten years together, if she decided to leave when she was old enough. Amy shook her head. No, she'd stay with him as long as she could. Until the day she died of old age, if she was lucky enough to reach it.

"What was Rose like?" she asked.

The Doctor was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to explain his relationship with Rose without it sounding like this great tragic love story, even though that's what he knew it was. "Robyn's heard all this before, so I'll give you the condensed version of events," he began, "but... she was a shop girl, in London."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "You picked up a shop girl," she remarked.

The Doctor smiled. "I pick up all kinds of people, Pond," he countered. "And all of them are brilliant. Never forget that."

"Oh, I won't," Amy assured him. "Go on then, finish your story."

"Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Amy snorted. "Of course I do," she replied. "Now quit stalling, will you?"

The Doctor laughed, raising his hands in defeat. "All right, all right." He adjusted his coat, feeling slightly chilly. "She was a shop girl, from London, and she saved me from myself."

"How?"

"I was an angry, angry, person after the death of my home. All leather and big ears, I was. I met Rose, blew up her job, then asked her to travel with me the next day."

"What did she say?"

"Well, she travelled with me, like I said, although she did say no at first."

Amy nodded. "Then how did you lose her?"

"She was almost sucked into the Void, but her father... well the version of her father from the parallel universe, saved her after she fell. They went back, and the rift between universes closed with her on the other side, and me still here."

"He burnt up a sun to say goodbye too," Robyn added sadly. "But they ran out of time, and he didn't get to tell her that he loved her."

"That's..." Amy shook her head, completely lost for words.

"That's how things turn out sometimes," the Doctor replied. "But there's always moments when you know they'll turn out for the best." He took out his sonic screwdriver again. "Now, let's get to work. We'll have visitors soon and I want to know what this is before I address the party."

**OoOoOoOoO**

River rode into the camp with little fanfare, because she knew time was of the essence. She proceeded to head back to the main command tent, but the way was barred by the pair of sentries posted on either side of the entrance. It became increasingly clear that the hallucinogenic lipstick was no longer in effect, and she was taken before the commander of the regiment.

"So," the commander began, pacing through the tent. "I return to my command after one week, and discover we're playing host to _Cleopatra_!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Who's in Egypt... And _dead!_"

River smiled ruefully. "Yes. Funny how things work out."

The Commander was about to reply, when the tent shook from the force of yet another space ship heading toward Stonehenge. "The sky is falling," he spat distastefully. "And you make jokes!" He glared at her. "Who _are_ you?"

River looked at him thoughtfully. "When you fight Barbarians, what must they think of you?"

The Commander raised his eyebrow. "Oh, riddles now?" he scoffed.

"Where do they think you come from?"

"A place more deadly, and more powerful," the commander drew his sword to emphasise his point, "and more impatient than their tiny minds can imagine."

Upon hearing this, River smiled with amusement, then deftly drew her meson blaster and fired it at the small shelf unit at the side of the room, disintegrating it instantly, to the Roman's alarm. "Where do I come from?" she said, voicing his next question herself. "Your world has visitors," she warned. "You're all Barbarians now."

"What is that?" the Commander asked, staring at River's weapon in shock. "Tell me, what?"

"A fool would say the work of the Gods," River replied. "But you've been a soldier too long to believe there are Gods watching over us. There _is_, however, a man. And tonight he's going to need your help."

On the other side of the tent, a single centurion stood in the shadows, listening to the entire exchange. He believed every single word River had said, even though his commander didn't, and he felt this was his chance to do someone some good. "Sir," he called, gaining his commander's attention.

The Commander looked at River, his sword still drawn, and then back at the centurion, as if deciding which matter was more important to attend to. "One moment," he said, then moved to speak to the centurion.

The pair of Romans spoke in whispers, and as much as she strained her ears, River couldn't make out what they were saying. The conversation itself was brief, for it was over not long after it began, but from the expression on the Commander's face, River was in for a surprise. As the commander approached, River kept her meson blaster at the ready, just in case she needed to use it.

"Well, it seems that you have a volunteer."

If River was surprised by the Commander's statement, then she definitely didn't show it, but she did give the centurion a brief nod, acknowledging his presence. Once she was allowed to leave the tent, she approached the centurion, intending to get a full report regarding how many men were at their disposal.

But what the centurion asked first surprised her. "They're both here?" he said, without removing his helmet. "The woman with the long red hair, and the man with the strange clothes?"

River frowned. "Yes, they're both here," she confirmed, looking at the centurion suspiciously. "And they're waiting for us to arrive with reinforcements. How many soldiers do we have?"

"I've only been given five hundred men," the centurion replied. "That's as many as my commander will allow."

River shook her head, knowing that this wouldn't do at all. They needed as many soldiers as possible, but five hundred of them didn't sound like there would be enough to hold one Dalek at bay, let alone twelve thousand battle ships, as well as the millions of other ships that were converging over Stonehenge. "Can you get any more?" she asked, hoping he would say that he could.

But he didn't. "No," the centurion replied, adjusting his cloak. "That's all my commander will allow, and he won't allow me any more."

River sighed. "It'll have to do, I suppose," she said, holstering her meson blaster. "But we shouldn't remain here any longer, we have a job to do, and a very important artefact to protect from our visitors."

The centurion nodded, then he frowned. "What is this artefact?" he asked, as the two of them set off to gather the men together. "And why do you need our help to protect it?"

"Those lights in the sky," River began, "are not of your world. They're space ships, and they're going to Stonehenge because they've been called there."

"What's at Stonehenge?"

"Something very large, and very old... and very dangerous."

A strange look came over the centurion's face, still hidden behind his helmet. "And you just left your companions behind when you knew how dangerous it was?" he said coldly.

"They chose to stay behind," River countered. "They wanted to study the artefact further before we returned."

The centurion was quiet for a moment, as he processed this information, and then smiled slightly. It was definitely them, he realised. Definitely the one man and woman that he'd been longing to see for a while. Although, he'd been longing to see the woman more than the man, but both of them were a welcome surprise. "Yes," he murmured. "That sounds like something they'd do."

River frowned. "Have you met my companions before?" she queried. "Because you sound like you're awfully familiar with them."

The centurion's eyes flashed, and he looked at River like a deer in headlights, then quickly shook his head, making his helmet rattle. "No," he said, trying, and failing, to keep his voice even. "But they remind me of people I knew..." His resolve faltered. "Just... it's nothing." He straightened, his armour clanking as he drew himself to his full height. "Now, we should go, we don't know how much time we have before those... space ships... reach Stonehenge, and standing here won't help your companions."

"Right," River agreed, although she couldn't help feeling the centurion was lying to her, in some small way. "You gather your soldier's, and I'll get my horse."

But even though her suspicions had been aroused, River Song wouldn't get the chance to indulge them.

Not for a very, very, long time.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Meanwhile, back at the Pandorica, the Doctor, Amy, and Robyn, were preparing to set up for the Romans arrival. Ships were still converging over the stones aboveground, but while the three of them were in the Underhenge, they were protected from view. Robyn listened carefully, trying to think about what might happen when the ships stopped arriving. Would there be a massive battle between them and the Romans? She hoped there wouldn't - she didn't want to see any one die... although, she suspected that might be inevitable.

"So, what's this got to do with the TARDIS?" asked Amy, lighting another torch.

"Nothing," the Doctor replied, crouching down and inspecting the base of the Pandorica carefully. "As far as I know."

Amy frowned, then moved over and placed the torch in a bracket on the other side of the room. "But Vincent's painting," she continued. "The TARDIS was _exploding_. Is that going to happen?"

"One problem at a time." The Doctor used the sonic screwdriver on the control device River had left with him. "There's force field technology inside this box," he went on, pressing the end of the sonic to the circle in the middle of the design on the Pandorica's side. "If I can enhance the signal, I could extend it all over Stonehenge. Could buy us half an hour."

Amy scowled, turning to look at him, arms akimbo. "What good is half an hour?"

"Yeah, Dad, half an hour doesn't sound like we'd have much time to do anything," Robyn agreed.

The Doctor ignored them, running a new tool over the surface of the box. "There are fruit-flies," he said instead, "live on Hoppeldom Six, that live for only twenty minutes, and don't even mate for life." He paused, then frowned as he lost his train of thought. "There was going to be a point to that," he said. "I'll get back to you."

Amy shook her head, throwing her hands up in exasperation, then walked away so he could do his work, and babble about fruit-flies, in peace. She pulled the ring box from her coat pocket, brushing the velvet lightly with her fingertips as she opened it to look at the ring inside. _Had the Doctor intended to give this to Rose?_ she wondered. _She_ was_ supposed to be the great love of his life, according to River_. _So why _wouldn't_ he have wanted to propose to her, or something? _She turned, holding the ring box, which was still open, in front of her. "So," she said casually. "Were you going to propose to your _friend_, Rose?"

The Doctor frowned, but didn't pay her any attention. "I'm sorry?"

"I found _this_," Amy continued, approaching the Doctor, who still wasn't paying attention. "In _your_ pocket."

Robyn patted her father's back, and he looked up, finally noticing what Amy was trying to show him. "No," he murmured. "No, no... that's... uh... a memory. A friend of mind, someone I lost. And no, Amy, before you ask, it isn't Rose." He reached out to take the box from Amy, but she pulled it away. "Do you mind?"

Amy looked at the box and frowned. Something wasn't quite right about the box, but she couldn't figure out what it was. "It's weird," she said quietly. "I feel... I don't know... _something_."

"People fall out of the world sometimes," the Doctor replied, looking at Amy intently. "But they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half eaten meals..." He nodded at the box in her hands. "Rings." He smiled. "Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely, and if something can be remembered... it _can_ come back."

For a moment, Robyn wondered if her father was talking about _Rory_, and deep down inside, she hoped it was true. From what her father told her about the nurse from Leadworth, he was a very good man, and he cared for Amy quite a lot, to the point where he'd do anything for her. She struck him as the very loyal type, and more than a good match for Amy, after all the people she'd lost. If he could come back, then it would be the best thing in the world.

Amy cleared her throat, suddenly becoming choked up, even though she couldn't explain why. "So, Rose... she was nice, yeah?" she asked, pressing the ring box into the Doctor's open palm.

The Doctor smiled, then nodded, and then returned to the Pandorica. But after a moment, he frowned, and looked back at Amy again. "Remember that night you flew away with me?" he said.

"Of course I do."

"And you asked me why I was taking you, and I told you there wasn't a reason... I was lying."

Amy looked shocked for a moment. "What, so you did have a reason?"

The Doctor nodded. "Your house."

"My house."

"It's too big. Too many empty rooms." The Doctor frowned. "Does it ever bother you, Amy, that your life doesn't make any sense?"

Amy looked at the Doctor strangely, finding this very odd thing for him to say, when a bolt of red, hot, energy flew behind her back and sent sparks flying as soon as it hit the Pandorica. Robyn yelped as the three of them ran around the other side of the giant box, using it for cover as more bolts of energy came shooting through the room.

"What was that?" Amy panted, pressing herself against the side of the Pandorica.

"Okay, need a proper look," the Doctor replied. "Got to draw its fire, give it a target."

"How?

"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?"

"Yes..." both girls chorused, although Robyn sounded uneasy while Amy sounded exasperated.

Rattling off a quick "Sorry!" the Doctor pushed past them and ran back out into the open, his arms raised high in the air. "Look at me, I'm a target!" he yelled, running behind one of the stones as two more shots were fired.

"What is that?" Amy called, once he was out of the line of fire.

"Cyber arm, arm of a Cyberman," the Doctor called back.

"And what's a Cyberman?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Oh, sort of part man, part robot," he said quickly. "The organic part must have died off years ago, now the robot part is looking for... well... fresh meat."

"What, us?" asked Amy.

"Yeah, it's just like being an organ donor, except you're alive, and sort of... screaming."

Robyn yelped. "Oh that's just _fantastic!_"

The Doctor glanced back at them. "I need to get round behind it, could you two draw its fire?"

"What, like _you_ did?" Amy asked angrily.

The Doctor grinned. "You'll be fine if you're quick," he assured them. "It's only got one arm, literally!" He gave them a 'two thumbs up' gesture, which Amy returned, then spun away from the rock as she, and Robyn, ran, screaming, into the open, giving him the opportunity to grab the arm with a flying tackle. "Come here," he said to himself, grabbing the arm with both hands, before quickly getting the sonic screwdriver out and immobilised it. But he knew the danger wasn't past yet, there was still a possibility of something else going wrong.

"Doctor?" Amy asked hesitantly, poking out from behind the rock she and Robyn hid behind.

"Scrambled its circuits, but stay where you are," the Doctor warned. "It could be bluffing."

Amy scowled. "Bluffing?" she said incredulously. "It's an _arm!_"

But the Doctor wasn't going to let her approach. "I said stay where you are!" he ordered.

Reluctantly, Amy returned to Robyn, and the stone, leaning against it as the two of them watched the Doctor work on deactivate the Cyberman arm. However, while they all had been distracted by the commotion caused by the arm, another part of the Cyberman was about to make its presence known...

Amy looked down as she felt something wrapping itself around her leg. "Doctor?" she said, gaining his attention just before she was pulled to the ground.

"_AMY!_" the Doctor cried out in horror, but he didn't get the chance to do anything, for the Cyberman arm sprung into life and electrocuted him!

"DOCTOR!"

As he fell to the ground, unconscious, the metal cables around Amy's leg retracted, and Amy looked back to finally get a glimpse of what had attacked her. It was a head, metallic cables emerging from the neck, writhing and wriggling like tentacles. Then the head made the cables snap and crackle like whips, wrapping them around Amy's wrists as she tried to shield herself from them, and then dragging itself forward. There was no doubt in Amy's mind that this was another part of those Cybermen things the Doctor had told her about, but having a head attack her of its own accord was not something she expected to happen the first time she encountered one. The head forced itself into her hands now, and she tried hard to keep it away with the cables snapping at her... at least she did, until they suddenly stopped.

Robyn took advantage of the lull to run over to the prone Doctor's body, keeping well away from the arm, even though she was sure it had used up all its leftover power when it electrocuted her father. She'd only just managed to kneel by his side when she heard Amy scream. She looked up in time to see a _human skull_ fall to the ground as Amy's feet, and the robotic outer shell start snapping at her.

She looked back down at her father. "Wake up, Dad!" she pleaded, shaking him roughly. "Please, wake up!"

While Robyn tried to rouse the Doctor, Amy continued to fight with the head. She smashed it against the wall, then threw it to the ground, where it used its tentacles to drag itself along. Then there was a flash, and she felt something pierce her neck. Reaching up, she pulled out a small metal dart.

"You will be assimilated," the head droned.

"Yeah?" Amy replied sarcastically. "You and whose body?"

Then the sound of pistons came from Amy's left, and she turned to see what was coming. Her eyes widened as a huge mechanical body - minus a head, she noted - came pounding into view. As her vision began to blur, the body picked up the head, attaching it with ease, and then reaching out to Amy with its one good arm. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the nearest torch from its bracket, waving it in front of her to ward off the Cyberman as she backed away. Her vision was getting worse now, and Amy wondered what was in that dart, but she just couldn't think straight, let alone see.

The Cyberman was almost upon her when she fell through a door, and everything went quiet. "Doctor?" she yelled, hoping that he'd recovered by then. But except for a few loud thuds, there was nothing but silence. Amy stood gingerly, approaching the door and listening carefully. "Doctor?" she repeated.

Suddenly the blade of a sword pierced clean through the door, and she jumped in fright. As the door swung open, she caught sight of the Cyberman, which had been pinned to the door with the sword, and, further on, in the doorway, a man in the armour of a Roman soldier. "Who...? Who are you?" she asked, blinking rapidly to try and keep the man in focus.

The centurion removed his helmet, then looked at Amy and smiled. "Hello, Amy," he greeted.

And then, the last of Amy's strength gave out, and her world, like the Doctor's before her, went dark.

**OoOoOoOoO**

When the Doctor came to, he realised that Robyn was hovering over him, almost in tears, and Amy was nowhere to be seen. Letting out a small sob, Robyn launched herself at him when he finally managed to sit up. He returned the child's embrace, then noticed someone that looked like a Roman soldier speaking to _another_ Roman soldier in a room just off to the side of the main chamber. "Amy," he murmured, looking at Robyn. "Where's Amy?"

"I think the Cyberman... thing... chased her in there," Robyn replied, nodding to the room the Roman soldier had just entered. "I didn't see what happened after that."

The Doctor nodded, then took her by the hand. "Come on, let's go see if she's okay."

The two of them ran into the chamber where the two Romans were talking, to find Amy lying on a stone slab, unconscious. As he approached the slab, the Doctor took his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and scanned her with it, then sighed with relief. "Okay, yes... she's sedated, that's all. Half an hour, she'll be fine." He looked up at the Romans, pleased by their presence, but, at the same time, not registering that one of them was _Rory!_ "Okay, Romans, good," he said. "I was just wishing for Romans. Good old River. How many?"

"Fifty men up top," Rory replied. "Volunteers." He pointed at the Cyberman warily. "What about that thing?"

But the Doctor wasn't listening, not completely, having moved to a rack of guns that lined the back of the room. "Fifty?" he asked, not impressed by the lack of numbers. "Not exactly a _legion_."

Rory frowned. "Your friend was very persuasive, but it's a tough sell," he said, adding under his breath, "Although, I _was_ allowed five hundred men. It's not my fault only fifty volunteered."

"Yes, I know that Rory," the Doctor replied, the fact that the man he was address should not have existed still not registering in his mind. "I'm not exactly one to miss the obvious, but we need everything we can get." He lifted a couple of guns from the rack. "Okay, Cyber weapons," he continued. He hit the Cyberman pinned to the door with one of the guns. "This is _basically_ a sentry box. So headless wonder here was a sentry. Probably got himself duffed up by the locals. _Never_ underestimate a Celt."

"Doctor..." Rory interrupted, trying to get his attention.

"Hush, Rory, thinking. Why leave a Cyberman on guard?" he asked himself. "Unless its a Cyberthing in the box, but why would they lock up one of their own?" He shook his head. "Okay, no, not a Cyberthing, but what, what?" He frowned. "No, I'm missing something obvious, Rory!" he moaned, walking back and standing in front of the man in question. "Something _big_, something right slap in front of me. I can _feel_ it!"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I think you probably are," he agreed.

The Doctor sighed, then hefted the Cyberguns over his shoulder. "I'll get it in a minute."

As he walked from the room, Robyn lifted her hand, all five fingers spread out, then folded them down as she mouthed, "Five, four, three, two, one..." And then, as if on cue, the sound of the Doctor dropping the weapons reached their ears. She grinned. "I know him too well."

The Doctor walked back into the room slowly, staring at Rory in amazement. He poked the other man, checking to see if he was real, to Robyn's amusement. "Hello again," he greeted rather awkwardly.

"Hello," Rory replied. The awkwardness of the situation was not lost on him either.

"How've you been?"

"Good. Yeah, good." He paused. "I mean, Roman."

The Doctor shook his head. "Rory, I'm not trying to be rude, but you died."

"Yeah, I know. I was there."

"You died and then you were erased from time. You didn't just _die_, you were never born at all, you _never_ existed!"

Rory looked at the Doctor uneasily, not liking what he was hearing. "Erased? What does that mean?"

The Doctor made an odd face. "_How _can you be here?" he asked.

Thinking about it for a few moments, Rory said, "I don't know. It's kind of fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?"

"Well, I died, and turned into a Roman. It's very distracting." Rory moved over to Amy's unconscious form, and stroked her hair. She made a small noise, as if she were aware of his presence, but didn't wake up. "Did she miss me?" he asked, looking at Amy lovingly.

The Doctor and Robyn looked at each other sadly, knowing full well that this had not been the case. Neither of them had any idea how to break it to poor Rory that she'd completely forgotten about him, since he technically never existed for her in the first place.

Instead, the Doctor decided that Rory and Robyn needed to be properly introduced. "Rory," he began casually, "say hello to Robyn, my daughter."

"Your daughter?" He frowned, since he didn't remember the Doctor having a daughter, let alone _any_ family, travelling with him before he'd picked up Amy, so the fact that a little girl was standing beside the Doctor and being introduced as his daughter was a strange thing to hear. "Since when do you have a daughter?"

Robyn smiled. "Since he adopted me a couple of months ago."

"After you were... uh... erased from time, actually," the Doctor added, smiling sheepishly. "Not very _long_ after you were erased from time, actually."

"So, you're a Dad now?"

The Doctor clapped his hand on to the other man's back. "Yes, I am, Rory," he replied. "And I expect you and Amy to keep her safe should anything happen to me."

Robyn's smile faded. "But we'll be fine, right? Nothing's going to happen?"

"There are millions of space ships in the sky, Robyn, and I'm going to try my hardest to stop them, but... there's no guarantee there won't be more... _problems_."

"You mean like that Cyberman?" she asked, nodding at the door.

But before anything else could be said about the issue, a rumbling and whooshing noise filled their ears, coming from up above, as did the sounds of the Roman soldiers reacting with alarm at the sight of them, and of something happening in the main chamber. The Doctor, Robyn, and Rory, quickly returned to the Pandorica, as more noise filled the air, a grinding and rumbling as the design on the sides of it began to move. As each piece of the design shifted, green light filtered between the empty spaces, casting an eerie glow into the room.

"What is it?" asked Rory, glancing at the Doctor fearfully. "What's happening?"

"The final phase," the Doctor replied ominously, scanning it with the sonic screwdriver once again. "It's _opening_."

And it was.

**OoOoOoOoO**

As the Doctor inspected the Pandorica more, becoming immersed in the green light, Rory went back aboveground to see what was happening with the space ships. Bright spotlights filled the sky, all of them being pointed towards the standing stones. A rush of air blew right over Rory's head as three more space ships joined the multitudes that were converging overhead. The Doctor would have to make a miracle happen, he realised, or things could get very ugly, very fast.

Back underground, the Doctor had quickly set to work, continuing to try to extend the force field from the Pandorica to include Stonehenge. He was lying at the base of the gigantic box, when the control device, which acted as a communicator as well, beeped.

"You're surrounded," said River, once he'd answered. "Have you got a plan?"

"Yes," he replied. "Now hurry up and get the TARDIS here. I _need_ equipment!"

As he hung up on her, River rolled her eyes, then rode off again, going to fetch the TARDIS as the Doctor had told her.

"Have you really got a plan, Dad?" Robyn asked worriedly. "Because it sounds like we really should have one right now."

"Yes, I've got a plan," the Doctor replied. "But I'm making it up as I go along." He got to his feet, staring at the Pandorica intently. "The only problem with it with it, though, is that we still don't know what's in there."

"Well, we ruled out Cybermen," said Robyn, walking over and standing beside him. "Could it be something Dalek?"

The Doctor groaned. "Oh, I hope not. The last thing we need is more Daleks."

Robyn looked down at the floor, trying to remember the list of aliens River had said were among those coming to Stonehenge. "River said everything that's ever hated you is coming here tonight," she said quietly. "That's every alien race you've ever defeated, isn't it?"

The Doctor looked at her grimly. "Yes. Every alien that tried to take over the Earth, or kill all who weren't Dalek, or convert all into Cybermen. They're all coming here, for the Pandorica... and what's inside of it."

"Are we all going to die?"

"No," the Doctor said firmly. "No one is going to die. Not while I'm here."

"Can you promise that?"

Her father's silence was all the reply she needed.

"I didn't think so."

The Doctor turned, and knelt in front of his daughter, looking her firmly in the eyes. "I may not be able to make that promise," he said. "But I am _not_ going to let anything happen to you. That's why I told Rory I want him, and Amy, to look after you. You're a very special little girl, Robyn Guinevere Lawson," he finished, tapping her nose with his finger.

Robyn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, of course I am. Like all the special little boys and girls in the world."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You are special. You're a time traveler. How many other boys and girls can say that?"

"None," Robyn replied, smiling shyly. "At least, none my age can say it."

The Doctor grinned. "That's right." He stood again, and turned back to the Pandorica. "What are you?" he asked it. "They're all here, all of them, all for you." His brow furrowed as he thought about what could be inside the box. "What could you possibly be?"

The space ships were getting louder now, as the alien armada grew stronger in numbers, and drew closer to the standing stones. "I think they're almost all here now, Dad," said Robyn, glancing up the stairs as a spotlight passed over it. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know yet, but I may have to do something to by us some time."

"Like what?" Robyn replied. "And what about the Pandorica? What if it opens?"

"Then we'll know what's inside it, won't we?"

"Yeah, right before it probably kills us."

"Which still means I'm going to have to buy us some time, because if what's inside the Pandorica doesn't kill us, the armada up there definitely will if we continue to stand in their way."

"So we're dead either way?"

"Looks like it."

"Well, that's just great."

The Doctor grinned. "Want to see me do something brilliant?" he asked, scooping up the control device from where he dropped it on the floor.

"Would it stop us from getting killed?" Robyn replied.

"What _is_ it with you and dying all of a sudden?"

Robyn scowled, then poked her tongue out at him. "I suddenly got an obsession with it when I found out everything that hates my Dad turned up out of nowhere for a great big box!" She folded her arms across her chest. "Besides, I'm starting to think something really, really, bad is going to happen to you, because I think I saw your ghost when I was taking Amy to the paper shop back at Aickman Road!" Her eyes widened, and she clapped her hand over her mouth as soon as she realised what she'd said.

"My ghost?" the Doctor asked flatly.

Robyn nodded. "That's the only way I can describe it," she said, her lip beginning to quiver. "I saw your ghost, and then I had that dream with the Bad Wolf, and I had to listen to her tell me that I had to warn you about something, and, and..." she burst into tears now, "I don't want anything to happen to you, but I think it's going to and I don't know how to stop it!" She rubbed her eyes. "And I don't think I _can_ stop it!"

The Doctor gathered her into his arms, smoothing her hair down her back, and wiping the tears from her eyes. "_Nothing_ is going to happen to me," he assured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "And I'm not going to let anything happen to you, or to Amy -"

"You say that now," Robyn interrupted, looking at him sceptically, "while she's lying on a stone slab, unconscious, thanks to a Cyberman!"

"Yes, yes, I know, I know, but I still mean it. Nothing bad is going to happen to me, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you." He smiled. "Now, do you want to see me do something brilliant?"

"Like what?"

The Doctor grinned. "I'm going to go up there and scare all the big bad monsters away."

**OoOoOoOoO**


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

It was easy to slip upstairs undetected while all the Romans were occupied with staring at the armada in the sky up above. Robyn wondered what her father was going to do that would be so brilliant that it would scare all the monsters away, but she hoped it would work. It just _had_ to work, especially if they wanted to live to see another day. As the spotlights passed overhead, she squinted, temporarily blinded by the brightness, but her eyes soon adjusted, and she too, looked up at the space ships in the sky.

"Well, Dad, I'm waiting," she murmured. "If you're going to do something brilliant, now's the time to do it." She looked around, trying to see if he was nearby, but all she could see were frightened Romans. "Come on, Dad, you said you were going to scare the monsters away!"

She ran over to Rory. "Have you seen my Dad?" she asked. "He was right in front of me when we came up here, but now I can't find him."

Rory frowned. "No, I haven't seen him," he replied. "Is he going to do... _something_... about the space ships?"

"He's going to try. He told me he was going to frighten them away."

"Frighten them away?"

Robyn shrugged. "That's what he told me. I just hope it works." She shivered slightly, but she wasn't sure whether it was from fear, or from the cold. "Because if it doesn't, then we're really in trouble."

Just then, they heard the angry squealing and squawking of something like a microphone come from somewhere on their left, and they heard a _very_ familiar voice (which did not sound embarrassed at all) say, "Sorry, _sorry_, dropped it!"

"What the hell is he doing?" Rory asked.

"I have absolutely _no_ idea!" Robyn replied, grinning at him. "But it sounds like it's going to be _brilliant!_" She laughed. "Exactly as he said it would be."

From his position beneath the stones, the Doctor was having the time of his life. "Hello Stonehenge!" he cried into his control device, having sonicked it to use as a public address system. "Who takes the Pandorica, takes the universe!" He grinned, knowing that this was going to be a lot of fun, and make a lot of aliens very angry. "But bad news, everyone..." He quickly climbed up on top of the closest flat stone, making his grand entrance. "Cause guess who? Ha!" As the spotlights passed over him, he glanced at Rory and Robyn and winked. "Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about, it's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute? Because I. AM. TALKING!"

To Robyn's amazement, every single space ship up above stopped moving, and the noise from their engines stopped considerably.

Her father certainly had a captive audience.

"The question of the hour is, who's got the Pandorica?" the Doctor continued, looking every inch like some rock and roll star, or trumped up tele-evangelist, taking command of his audience. "Answer: I do. Next question, who's going to take it from me?" He spread his arms wide as if daring the space ships to make a move. "Come _on!_ Look at me. No plan, no back-up, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else... I don't have _anything..._ to... lose!"

The wide grin Robyn sported on her face faded a little when she heard this. She knew he was just being overly dramatic for the benefit of the alien armada, but it still hurt a little to hear him say that he didn't have anything to lose, because he _did_ have something to lose...

Her.

And Amy, and Rory, and River too, even though they hadn't even met yet according to the Doctor's timeline. In fact, when she thought about it, she realised he had plenty to lose, but he wasn't about to admit it to anyone.

Because that meant admitting it to himself.

Meanwhile, the Doctor prepared to make his big finish. "So," he began, his pontificating reaching fever pitch, "if you're sitting up there in your silly little space ship, with all your silly little _guns_, and you're got any plans on taking the Pandorica, tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember _every_ little black day I _ever_ stopped you, and then... and _then_... do the smart thing." He paused, letting his words sink in, and then lowered his voice. "Let somebody else try first," he finished, spreading his arms once again, still daring the space ships to make a move.

Any move.

Which they did, but it wasn't what Robyn, or Rory, or any of the Romans, for that matter, were expecting.

The spotlights wavered, then blinkered out of existence, and the noise from the engines of all the space ships returned... as they _left_ Stonehenge! Every single ship that had made its way to the standing stones turned and fled. There was no question that some, or all of them, might return after they had a chance to work out their own strategies, but at least the Doctor had bought them time to figure out what was inside the Pandorica that they wanted so much, and how to stop the huge box from opening.

As Rory breathed a sigh of relief, the Doctor adjusted his jacket, looking rather pleased with himself. "Well, that'll keep them squabbling for half an hour," he said nonchalantly, tossing the control device to Rory. He looked around, regarding them carefully, then jumped down from the stone. "Romans!" He looked down at Robyn and grinned. "So, daughter of mine," he said, then winced, as if what he'd said brought back bad memories. "Have I impressed you?"

She nodded, beaming at him happily. "You told me you were going to do something brilliant," she replied. "And you were right!"

"Of course I was!" He took her by the hand. "Now, come on. We need to continue working on the Pandorica, and Amy should be awake by now."

At the sound of Amy's name, Rory's eyes lit up. "I'll come with you," he said, following the pair of them back underground. "I want to be there when she wakes up."

Robyn smiled. Her father may have done something brilliant by scaring the alien armada away, but Rory was doing something far more impressive.

He was being himself, being the man that Amy had fallen in love with.

Being the man that had fallen in love with Amy.

And that was the most brilliant thing of all.

**OoOoOoOoO**

As she entered the TARDIS, River took off her sheepskin vest and her gloves, knowing that she wouldn't need them now that she was out of the cool night air. She dumped them on the nearest seat, then used her now empty hands to begin the de-materialisation sequence. It was going smoothly, or at least made the appearance of going smoothly. "Okay," she breathed, relatively pleased that she'd managed to make everything work so far, then pulled the last two levers, sending them into the vortex.

However, there was something strange about the noise that the time ship was making. There was the usual grinding and wheezing, but it sounded worse than usual. On top of that, she lurched to the side, almost making River fall over if she hadn't gripped the console in time. "What's the matter with you?" she asked, looking at the time rotor with worry.

Although she knew travel through the time vortex was quite bumpy occasionally, this felt different, River decided. The Doctor would always have something up his sleeve to stabilise the flight, but this time he wasn't here, and she would have to diagnose what was wrong by herself. "What are you doing, what's wrong?" she said, as another tremor passed through the console room.

The TARDIS was hurling herself through the vortex at great speed, as if there were somewhere urgent that she needed to be. But River knew that the only place the TARDIS was needed was back at Stonehenge where the Doctor was waiting from them. He needed them to stop the Pandorica from opening, but something was sending them somewhere else, somewhere that _wasn't_ Stonehenge.

Somewhere that wasn't anywhere near the Doctor.

The TARDIS continued its journey, shuddering, and shaking, jumping, and jittering about, threatening to send River flying to the floor at any moment. She'd never seen this type of behaviour before, and she never wished to again, if she could help it. What was going wrong? There was no way it should've taken this long for the TARDIS to move from one point to another when it was supposed to remain in the one time zone.

Then the shaking stopped, almost as quickly as it started. She put on the hand brake, then fell forward, grabbing hold of the console before she hurt herself. "Okay?" she murmured cautiously. "You're okay now?" She moved around and checked the scanner screen, then noticed that the image was out of focus. She hit it a couple of times to see if that would help, but when it didn't decided that she would need to take a look outside so she could work out where the TARDIS had taken her.

But as she left the console room, she didn't notice the scanner screen refocus, nor did she see the read-out that came up on the display.

If she'd waited a moment longer, she would have known the TARDIS had brought her to Earth, on the twenty-sixth of June, two thousand and ten.

The date of Rory and Amy's wedding.

The date that the TARDIS was due to explode...

And if she waited a moment longer, she would've seen the screen crack, and heard a voice, an eerie ominous voice, proclaim...

"Silence will fall."

**OoOoOoOoO**

Although he was mostly waiting for Amy to wake up, Rory couldn't help but feel anxious that the space ships would return. "They're still out there," he said. "What do we do now?"

"If I can stop whatever's in this box getting out, then they'll all go home," the Doctor replied, patting the Pandorica with his free hand.

Rory nodded. "Right."

Looking past him, a sad expression came over the Doctor's face. "Rory, I'm sorry," he said, and Robyn looked up at him, positively grief-stricken, having noticed who was now fully awake, and entering the main chamber at that moment. "You're going to have to be very brave right now."

The other man looked at him in confusion, then realised, upon hearing a voice, a _female_ voice, which was not Robyn's, that someone was behind him.

"Oh, my head," Amy moaned, pushing past Rory and heading straight for the Doctor, not even looking at poor Rory once. Not that she was overly concerned, because as far as she knew, Rory was just one of the Romans from the camp. "Hey kid," she greeted groggily, as Robyn came over gave her a hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Robyn replied quietly.

"Me too," said Amy, rubbing her head again.

The Doctor smiled slightly, then checked Amy for side-effects from the Cyberman's dart. "Just your basic knock out drops," he said, with a laugh. "Get some fresh air. You'll be fine."

"Is it safe up there?" she asked, as he took the sonic screwdriver from his pocket once again.

"Not remotely," the Doctor replied, turning back to the Pandorica. "But it's fresh."

Amy sighed. "Fine." Turning to leave, she finally came face to face with the centurion that had saved her. "Oh," she said, jumping in surprise as he entered her field of vision. "You're the guy, yeah, the one who did the..." she paused, waving her hand in the air as if she were wielding a sword, "swordy thing."

"Yeah," Rory replied flatly, unable to figure out why there was no flicker of recognition in his fiancée's eyes.

"Well, thanks for the swording," she replied, patting him on the shoulder. "Nice swording." She pushed past him again, intending to go above ground as the Doctor had ordered.

Rory stared into space. "No problem," he murmured, quickly turning and calling after her, saying, "My men are up there. They'll... they'll look after you."

"Good," Amy called back. "Love a Roman."

Watching her walk up those stairs was the hardest thing that Rory Williams could have ever done. She'd shown absolutely no sign of knowing who he was, not even when he was standing right in front of her. Sure he was dressed in the armour of an ancient Roman Centurion, but he was still her fiancé, from Leadworth, and no amount of armour was going to change that fact. "She doesn't remember me," he said quietly. He turned to the Doctor accusingly. "How can she not remember me?"

The Doctor stopped what he was doing and turned to face him. "Because you never existed," he said simply.

"No Rory, no memories," Robyn added, as the Doctor turned back to the Pandorica. "So she doesn't remember you."

But Rory wasn't about to sit back and take this stride. "Then _why_ doesn't she remember me, Doctor?" he demanded. "Why doesn't Amy remember me?"

"There are cracks," the Doctor explained, running the sonic screwdriver over the design on the side of the Pandorica once again. "Cracks in time. There's going to be a huge explosion in the future, on one particular day. And every other moment of history is cracking around it."

Rory bristled, angry that the Doctor was ignoring his question. "So how does _that_ work?" he replied, raising his voice. "What _kind_ of explosion? What exploded?"

The Doctor paused, casting his mind back to the events of the past few months. The Byzantium, and the Silurian's cave system... he'd found important things in both those places, but still didn't know what either of them had meant, and Vincent's painting... Vincent's painting had just made things worse. When he worked out the base code of the universe, and found out the date of the explosion, at least he could harbour a sense of detachment, because it wasn't real yet. Then he extracted the piece of shrapnel from the crack, and his sense of detachment weakened, because he could no longer think about it theoretically.

With that piece of shrapnel in his hand... burnt... smouldering... he couldn't even bring himself to say that it was a piece of the TARDIS... the explosion was becoming more and more real to him, and Vincent's painting had done absolutely nothing to curb that fact. He shook his head, trying to clear the thought from his mind. "Doesn't matter, he said absently. "The cracks are everywhere now. Get too close and you can fall right out of the universe."

"So I fell through a crack and now I was never born?" Rory asked, his voice breaking as he realised the implications of what the Doctor was telling him.

"Basically."

"How did I end up here?"

"I don't know, you shouldn't have," the Doctor replied, turning to look at him sharply, then crossing the room to stand before the other man. "What happened?" he queried. "From your point of view, what _physically_ happened?"

Rory thought hard, trying to remember the last time he, and Amy, and the Doctor had been together. "I was in the cave," he said slowly, "with you and Amy. I was dying, and then I was just here. A Roman soldier. A proper Roman. Head full of Roman... stuff, a whole other life. Just here like I'd woken up from a dream." He looked at the Doctor sadly, then turned away. "Started to think it _was_ a dream, with you, and Amy, and Leadworth... and then today, in the camp, the men were talking about the visitors, the girl with the red hair..." He shook his head. "I thought you'd come back for me, but _she_ can't even remember me!"

"Oh, shut _up!_"

"What?" Rory replied, looking at the Doctor in confusion.

The Doctor reached into his jacket, pulling out the ring box and tossing it to the other man, who caught it deftly. "Go get her."

Rory looked at the ring box in his hands, opening it to check that the ring was still inside, then frowned. "But I don't understand. Why am I here?"

"Because you are. The universe is big. It's vast, and complicated, and ridiculous, and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen, and we call them miracles, and... that's the theory. Nine hundred years, never seen one yet," the Doctor smiled, "but _this_ would do me. Now get upstairs, she's Amy, and she's surrounded by Romans. I'm not sure history could take it."

Snapping the ring box shut, Rory nodded, then turned and quickly made his way upstairs, intending to do exactly that.

"Do you think he'll be able to do it?" asked Robyn, watching him leave. "Do you think he'll be able to make Amy remember him?"

"She already does," the Doctor replied, returning to his work. "Subconsciously."

Robyn stared at him for a moment, then realised what he was talking about. "Like how Uncle Vincent could tell that Amy was sad," she said. "Because she was remembering Rory at the time."

The Doctor nodded. "Exactly. So being confronted with our Rory, and that engagement ring, should force the suppressed memories into her conscious mind."

"And then she'll remember him again."

The Doctor looked up from his work, and smiled at her. "Exactly."

**OoOoOoOoO**

It was still night, River found, when she left the TARDIS, but it was no longer night in 102 AD. She wasn't anywhere near Stonehenge, like she expected, but in front of a house. Whose house it was, she had no idea, and there was nothing close by that she could use to identify it. At least not from outside.

She looked back at the TARDIS. "Why have you brought me here?" she asked, patting the time ship's door. Taking out her torch, and her control device, she scanned the area immediately in front of her, entering the front garden, and shining the torch over the grass. Strange marks had been burnt into the lawn, but the source of the marks was nowhere to be seen.

"Okay," River said to herself, scanning the markings. "So something's been here."

She turned to the house next, slightly unnerved that the front door had been torn clean off its hinges. There was no question that whoever left the markings, had also, at some point, gone into the house. She crossed the threshold gingerly. The house was in absolute darkness, and total silence, which was only broken when River used the staircase in the main hallway. She left the living room, and the kitchen, alone, because a brief once over with the control device had determined that they had been left untouched.

Upstairs, however, was another matter. Pushing open one of the doors brought River to a bedroom, but not just any old bedroom...

Amy's bedroom.

Not that she knew it was, just yet.

River slowly stepped inside, passing the light of her torch over the contents of the room, looking for anything that might have been tampered with. The bed looked rumpled, as if it had been slept in, but only half the night. None of the pictures on the wall were missing, which was good on its own, but not immediately helpful.

Then she passed the torch over Amy's dressing table... and saw the dolls, and the hand puppets, and the drawings, and all the things little Amy had made the night, and all the nights after, she met the Doctor. "Amy," she breathed sadly, as her heart sank. She shook her head. "Oh, Doctor, _why_ do I let you out?"

But before she could think about the Doctor any further, the control device in River's hand beeped, reacting to something on Amy's nightstand. Looking down, she noticed that it was a picture book.

A picture book about Ancient Roman Britain.

A picture book about Ancient Roman Britain with a _very_ familiar looking Commander on the cover.

And then she found another book, a children's story that she remembered Amy mentioning as being her favourite when she was a little girl.

The Legend of Pandora's Box.

With the _Pandorica_ printed neatly on the cover.

Something very, _very_, wrong was going on, River realised. "Oh, no."

Everything in 102 AD was a set-up, some kind of elaborate trap for the Doctor, and she'd led him straight to it!

She ran back through the house, taking both books with her, and returned to the TARDIS.

She may have led the Doctor to the trap, but there was still a chance that he could save himself if she used the TARDIS phone to send him a warning.

If she wasn't already too late.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Amy sat in the cold, shivering despite the blanket, Rory noticed when he returned aboveground. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, with her fiery hair and her pale skin, shining like alabaster in the moonlight. He longed to feel that hair between his fingers once again, and to see the alabaster skin up close as he held her in his arms, but she would have to remember him first, and as much as he trusted the Doctor's judgement, he wasn't sure that would happen any time soon.

She didn't pay him any attention when he stood beside her, continuing to stare into space. He didn't have a clue who, or what, she was thinking about, but he knew who she _wasn't_ thinking about.

Him.

All she remembered him for was being the guy who did the 'swordy thing' against the Cyberman that had attacked her. No tearful, heartfelt, reunions for him.

Oh no.

He was just the guy who did the 'swordy thing'.

Not Rory Williams, not Amy Pond's boyfriend, not even Amy Pond's _fiancé!_

Just the guy who did the 'swordy thing'.

That was about to change, he decided. No more 'guy who did the swordy thing', not now, and not ever again. He was going to make Amy remember, even if it were the last thing he did, because it was...

The right thing to do?

Well, it felt like the right thing to do. Amy deserved to remember, for both their sakes. "Are you okay?" he asked, easing into the conversation carefully.

Amy looked at him in annoyance. "Did the Doctor send you?" she replied. "I'm fine, he just fusses."

Rory didn't doubt this, because he knew the part of him that was a nurse would've been the same way. "You got a blanket," he observed. "That's good. Who gave you that?"

"Just one of the fellers."

"Which one?"

"Just one of them. Does it matter?" Amy countered, not liking the tone of Rory's voice.

Rory shook his head, realising he would have to back off he was going to get Amy to trust him. "No. No. Forget him... _it_... forget it."

"What's your name?"

Rory blinked, the question barely registering in his mind, then sat down. He was beginning to feel overwhelmed by it all, but he knew he had to persevere. "I'm... Rory," he said slowly, hoping that the sound of his name would trigger something inside of her. His heart leapt when she gave him a very strange look, as if she had, somewhere unconsciously, remembered something. "What's wrong?" he asked, the look of concern on his face completely genuine.

Amy shook her head, an eerie sense of déjà vu washing over her. That name, Rory. She knew it somehow, but she couldn't place where, or when, she might have heard it. Well, there was that one time when they were running from the Krafayis with Vincent, and the Doctor had accidentally called the artist 'Rory', but she'd chalked that up to just a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment. He hadn't meant anything by it, had he? "Nothing," she said aloud. "It's just not what you expect Romans to be called." She smiled at him. "What's it short for?" she asked. "Roranicus?"

Roranicus.

Now that was one name Rory hadn't expected to hear. Not from Amy's lips. He smiled hopefully. If she didn't remember him, like the Doctor had said, then how could she have remembered the name he used when he dressed up as a Roman Centurion for that one costume party they'd attended together while they were dating. Something that she shouldn't have remembered, if she didn't remember him. Oh, the memories were there, just suppressed, and if he could just make her remember, then everything could go back to the way it was.

Rory Williams, and Amy Pond, travelling in the TARDIS with the Doctor.

As he sat there, letting this sink in, he noticed a long tear trailing its way down Amy's pale cheek. "You're crying," he murmured, point it out to her.

Amy reached up and touched her cheek, and realised he was right. She _was_ crying. Just like when she'd met Vincent... just like when he said he could sense her sadness. Except, this time it felt different. She didn't feel sad at all, nor did she have any reason to feel sad. So why was she crying?

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rory asked, as Amy started to cry even more.

"Nothing," she replied, her voice breaking. "It's like... It's like I'm happy." She laughed, smiling at Rory warmly. Then the smile faltered. "Why am I happy?"

And in that instant, Rory knew what was happening. Amy was remembering. She didn't know _what_ she was remembering, but it was fighting its way to the surface. There was nothing more he wanted to do in that moment than to take her in his arms, but he held back, because he didn't want to frighten her more than she already was. It broke his heart to see her so scared, but he couldn't just touch her without making her think that he was going to hurt her. Not that he ever would hurt her, because it just wasn't in him. He loved her far too much, and he wanted to protect her more than anything in the world. He didn't even feel threatened by the Doctor, because he knew the Time Lord didn't see Amy in _that_ way... He shook his head. Now he was rambling in his own thoughts, and forgetting what was really important. What he'd spent so much time missing, even though _she_ hadn't missed him.

Amy.

Amy was remembering.

And that, in itself, was so very, _very_, good.

But while she did, something very, _very_, bad was coming.

If it wasn't already there, lying in wait for the right moment to strike.

The beginning of the end was coming, and not even the Doctor was in a position to stop it.

**OoOoOoOoO**


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Robyn was anxious. River had not come back yet, and their half an hour was almost up. She thought about what the Doctor had told her to do, whether or not to hide herself away... but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. What if he needed her? What if something when wrong, and she needed to run and fetch help? She couldn't leave him there, when there were all those ships just waiting to come back and wage war!

"Dad, is it supposed to take the TARDIS this long to travel between here and where we landed?"

"No, it shouldn't. Something's wrong."

Robyn winced. "I figured it might be," she replied. She pointed to the control device in his hand. "Maybe we should call her. Ask her what's going on?"

The Doctor nodded. "That's a very good idea, and one I already had myself." Of course, River was already calling, he found as the device sprung to life in his hand. "The TARDIS," he said tersely, answering the call. "Where is it? Hurry up!"

"Don't raise your voice, don't look alarmed, just listen," River replied, keeping her own voice even as she spoke through the TARDIS phone. "They're not real. They can't be," she went on, leafing through the book she'd taken from Amy's house. "They're all right here in the storybook, those _actual_ Romans, the ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house. A _children's_ picture book."

"What are you even _doing_ there?" said the Doctor, his suspicions growing. He pushed himself up against the side of the Pandorica, pulling Robyn close to him so she did the same.

"It doesn't matter," River shot back. "The TARDIS went wrong. Doctor, how is this possible?"

The Doctor's face turned pale, as a _very_ nasty thought struck him. "Something's using her memories," he said. "_Amy's_ memories."

"But how?"

"You said something had been there."

"Yes," River confirmed. "There's burn marks on the ground outside. Landing patterns."

"If they've been to her house, they could've used her psychic residue," the Doctor told her. "Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts." He bit his lip. "They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories, but why?"

"Doctor, who are those Romans?"

The Doctor peeked around the side, checking to see if the Romans were acting suspiciously. "Projections," he replied. "Or _duplicates_."

"But they were helping us!" River exclaimed. "My _lipstick_ even worked!"

"They might think they're _real_. The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story... right until they're activated."

Then River made a horrifying discovery. Nestled in the pages of the picture book was a photograph, and from that photograph, two smiling people, wearing costumes, looked up at her. She recognised both figures easily, but the fact that one of them, who should _not _have been there, yet was, had her in shock. Amy was one of the two, dressed as a twenty-first century policewoman, but the other, the one who should _not_ have been there, was dressed a _Roman Centurion! _"Doctor," she murmured, now fearing for the poor girl's life, "that Centurion..."

"What about him?"

"I don't know," River replied. "But I don't think we should get too close to him, if he's anything like the rest of those Romans..."

Listening to her father, and River's conversation, Robyn started to get very scared. The TARDIS went wrong? That couldn't really happen, could it? And if it did, then how did it go wrong? What did River do that made it go to the wrong place? She was thinking, quite strongly, about hiding herself now. It seemed like the best thing to do, but she didn't want to leave her father at the mercy of these... duplicates, or whatever they were, and at the mercy of whatever was about to come out of the Pandorica.

Then she heard River mentioning something about the Centurion. But she meant Rory, didn't she? He couldn't be one of the duplicates, could he? Robyn's stomach tightened, and she felt ill just thinking about it. That couldn't be true, it just couldn't, not when Amy was so close to getting her Prince back! She sat down, taking long deep breaths, and hoping the butterflies in her stomach subsided. It all sounded too good to be true. Rory coming back, the aliens all leaving, and being to stop the Pandorica from opening...

She'd equated the Doctor and Rose's separation to a fairy tale gone wrong, but this...

This was a fairy tale turning into a nightmare!

None of the Romans were real, and that might mean that Rory wasn't real either!

She couldn't understand why it was making her feel so sick, but there was something terrifying going on, and it wasn't just the Pandorica opening. The whole world was being turned on its head, and nothing, absolutely nothing, made sense anymore!

She swallowed. "Dad?" she whispered, trying to get his attention, and his alone. "Dad?"

He waved his hand at her dismissively, concentrating on what River was telling him. "Not now, Robyn."

"But Dad..."

"Not now."

She bit her lip, fighting back tears, then slid down the side of the Pandorica until she sat on the base of the giant box. Something was very, very, wrong, and she couldn't do anything to fix it, and her father wasn't listening to her either! If there was something different about Rory, something dangerous, then who was to say if Amy wasn't in danger by sitting up there with him!

"Dad..." she moaned, looking up at him weakly.

"Not now," he hissed. "I'm busy. I'll be there in a minute."

But Robyn was openly crying now. This was not going to end well, she knew that, but she wished they had a chance to make some kind of difference. She wished she'd never seen the Bad Wolf, she wished she'd never dreamt about the painting. She wished they'd never come here, but that wouldn't have been her decision.

Whoever wanted them here, wanted her father.

And now they had him.

Whether she liked it or not.

"Robyn..." a voice said softly in her ear. "Robyn..."

Opening her eyes a crack, Robyn looked in the direction the voice was coming from, and then opened them completely in shock when she realised who was speaking to her.

It was Rose... or the Bad Wolf... but whoever it was, they were there, and they were the most comforting sight she'd seen all day.

"This way," said the Bad Wolf, beckoning to the little girl, and guiding her to a small alcove at the back of the room.

Robyn got to her feet gingerly, following the Bad Wolf into the alcove, and then collapsing into her arms. "I think my Dad's in trouble, Rose," she sobbed. She'd used Rose because it seemed to be the only name that fit her companion, and she knew the Bad Wolf was inclined to agree. "You told me to warn him, and I think I know what I'm meant to warn him about now, but..."

'Rose' nodded, kissing the top of the little girl's head. "Shh, it's okay, you did exactly what was expected of you." She lifted the little girl's chin, tilting her head up gently. "You _did_ warn him, but not for what you're thinking of. River can help him now, but there's one last thing I need you to do for me."

"What?" Robyn asked, even though she was afraid to know the answer. "What do I have to do?"

"Be brave for me," 'Rose' said simply. "You're going to lose much in the next few hours, but you'll get it back again if you don't lose hope."

"What... what am I going to lose?"

"More than you'll ever know."

**OoOoOoOoO**

Meanwhile, the Doctor was still having it out with River. "It's a trap, it _has_ to be," she said urgently. "They used Amy to construct a scenario you'd believe, to get close to you!"

"Why?" the Doctor shot back, beginning to pace the room now, becoming angrier and angrier that he'd been manipulated. "Who'd so that? What for? It doesn't make sense!" Just then, he heard something rumble, and River let out a surprised gasp. "River... River?" He was getting even angrier now. "_River_, what's _happening_?"

"I don't _know_," she replied. "It's the engines. Doctor, there's something wrong with the TARDIS, like something else is controlling it!"

"You're flying it wrong."

"I'm flying it _perfectly_," River ground out, throwing switches, and pushing buttons as she tried to regain control. "_You_ taught me!"

"Where are you?" the Doctor asked casually. "What's the date reading?"

River looked up at the screen. "It's the twenty-sixth, June, twenty ten," she read aloud, relaying it to him.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "You need to get out there now," he said, his voice hollow. "Any other time zone, just go."

"I _can't_ break _free!_"

"Well, then shut down the TARDIS. Shut down everything!"

But River was adamant. "I _can't!_"

Then the console room stilled, and an eerie voice proclaimed. "Silence will fall."

Upstairs, Amy's memories continued to return. She reached out to Rory, unable to understand her own actions.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied, her fingertips lightly brushing Rory's cheek. "I don't know why I'm doing that," she said, growing frightened with every passing moment.

Rory touched Amy's hand, pleased that she was finally remembering. "It's me," he said quietly. "Amy, please... it's me!"

He was ready to start begging now, if it helped Amy remember.

He wanted to see the light in her eyes again, the affectionate glances that she thought he didn't see, even though he always did. He wanted Amy back, the way he remembered her...

The way she remembered him.

The worst evil in the history of the universe may have been about to emerge from a gigantic box underneath Stonehenge, but that was not the most important thing in the world to him.

Amy was.

And if the worst evil in the history of the universe did emerge from that gigantic box underneath Stonehenge, then he would be the first one to protect her, even if he had to do it from the Doctor's side.

The universe may end that night, but it wasn't going down without a fight, and he was going to be the one doing the fighting.

"But I don't know you," Amy murmured, snatching her hand away and standing up. "I've never seen you before in my life."

"You have," Rory insisted. "You _know_ you have, it's _me!_"

"Why am I _crying_?"

"Because you remember me! I came back! You're crying because you remember me!"

Downstairs, things with River were coming to a head. "Someone else is flying it," she told the Doctor. "An external force. I've lost control."

"But _why_?" he asked, as a shrill, earsplitting ringing filled his ears. He winced, putting his finger in his other ear to lessen the sound. He didn't even notice the Romans around him hunch over, dropping their weapons, shield, and torches at their feet, and then stand again as their true nature asserted itself. "Listen to me," he continued. "Just land her anywhere. Emergency landing, now. There are cracks in time, and I've seen them, everywhere, and they're getting wider. The TARDIS exploding is what causes them, but we can stop the cracks ever happening, if you just _land her!_"

"It's not safe," River replied.

The Doctor looked around, and noticing Robyn was missing, hoped that she'd found herself somewhere safe to hide.

And then the Pandorica opened, spilling bright white light into the room.

"Well, now," the Doctor murmured. "Ready to come out, are we?"

Back on the TARDIS, River had managed to land. "Doctor, I'm down," she told him. "I've landed."

"Okay, just walk out of the doors," the Doctor replied. "If there's no one inside, the TARDIS engines shut down automatically. Just get _out_ of there."

"I'm going."

"RUN!"

River did as she was told, running for the doors at top speed. But when she reached them, she found they wouldn't budge, to her horror. "Doctor! Doctor! I can't open the doors!"

But the Doctor was no longer listening, crying out to Amy as he was set upon by the false Romans.

**OoOoOoOoO**

From up above, Rory was in crisis. He'd felt the signal, heard it, and his body was betraying him, trying to make him move when all he really wanted was to stay by Amy's side. "No!" he cried in anguish. "No... please... no! I'm not going! I'm _Rory_!" He held his head in his hands, trying to force the signal from his mind, but it just wouldn't work. "Listen to me, you _have_ to run," he said, trying to ward Amy off instead. "You have to get away from here as far as you can. I'm a thing. I'll kill you. Just _go!_"

But something compelled Amy to stay, despite Rory's arguments to the contrary.

Something about this centurion was strangely familiar, she realised, and she wasn't about to let him get away until she knew exactly what it was.

And who was he to tell her what to do, where to go, and who she should be with?

He was just an ordinary old Roman wasn't he?

But the mechanical noises coming from his body were something that you normally associate with ancient Romans, so he had to be something new. Something that the aliens had planted, perhaps? It was a terrifying thought, but when you travelled with the Doctor, you learnt not to rule out anything.

Rory groaned. "Please, no, I don't want to go!" he cried, as every part of him tried to force him to move. "I'm Rory... I'm... I'm..."

"Williams," Amy finished, as all the pieces in her mind fell into place. "Rory Williams, from Leadworth. My boyfriend." She knelt in front of him. "How could I ever forget you?"

"Amy, you've got to run," Rory insisted, his voice a deathly whisper. "I can't hold on. I'm going."

"You are Rory Williams, and you are not going anywhere, ever again."

Back on the TARDIS, things were going from bad to worse. "Doctor, I can't open the doors," River cried, trying desperately to make the TARDIS let her out. "Doctor, please, I've got _seconds!_"

But the Doctor couldn't hear her, for he no longer had the control device, since it had been knocked from his hands when he was accosted by the false Romans. He struggled in their vice-like grip as they dragged him from the Pandorica. "Plastic Romans," he spat. "Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness, eh? Deep cover, but what for? What are you doing?" He lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. "What's in there, eh?" he asked, gesturing to the Pandorica with his head. "What's coming out?"

"The Pandorica is ready," the one who'd been Rory's lieutenant announced.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "What, you mean it's open?"

"You have been scanned," a new voice informed him, and his hearts almost stopped as he looked behind him. "Assessed. Understood. Doctor."

It was the Daleks.

Above ground, Amy was working to convince Rory of his humanity, and hopefully override his programming. "The ring, remember the ring?" she reminded him. "You'd never let me wear it in case I lost it."

"The Doctor gave it to me," he told her, and Amy's face lit up.

"Show it to me. Show me the ring."

"Amy..."

"Come on! Just show it to me!"

Underground, the Doctor had now been turned to face the Daleks. "Scanned?" he asked incredulously. "Scanned by what, a box?"

"Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated," said the Cybermen, as they too transported to the Underhenge.

Judoon and Sontarans joined in next. "The Pandorica is ready," said the Sontaran General.

"Ready for what?"

The white Dalek answered him. "Ready for _you_."

Inside the Pandorica, the white light dissipated, revealing a chair with manacles built into it.

Upstairs, Amy believed she was making progress, as Rory managed to show her the engagement ring, but not without a lot of effort on his part. "There it is," she said. "You remember. _This_ is you, and _you_ are staying."

But Rory knew her efforts were in vain, as the cover slipped from his gun hand. "No..." he murmured.

In an instant, the triumphant look on Amy Pond's face turned to shock, as an energy bolt, from Rory's hand, passed through her...

Killing her.

**OoOoOoOoO**

From her hiding place in the alcove, Robyn watched in horror as her father was captured, and aliens representing all of the ships that had appeared over Stonehenge transported into the room. She squirmed in the Bad Wolf's arms, trying hard to get away so she could try and save her father from the false Romans, or Nestene Duplicates, whatever name he'd called them, but the older 'woman' held her fast. "Let me _go!_" she sobbed. "I _have_ to get to him. I _have_ to save him!" She looked up at 'Rose', tearstains marring her face. "_Please_... I _need _him."

"You'll get your chance," 'Rose' assured her. "But you can't go out there, sweetheart, or you'll be killed."

"But the TARDIS is going to explode!" Robyn protested. "And if they lock _him_ inside the Pandorica, then he won't be able to save River!"

And she was right.

As the TARDIS exploded, River worked madly to open the doors...

And above ground, Amy Pond died...

And underground, before Robyn's eyes...

The Doctor was placed inside the Pandorica, with every one of his greatest enemies watching.

"No..." Robyn breathed, as her father's wrists were placed in the manacles. "Dad..." Tears brimmed in her eyes. "Daddy... _DADDY!_"

Looking out from the Pandorica, the Doctor noticed the little alcove, and inside it he saw... Robyn.

And _Rose_.

She smiled at him, sadly, holding onto the little girl as she silently called to him. His hearts broke at the sight of her despair, and by how hard she was struggling to get away, and he knew she was trying to save him, even though she knew it would get her killed. But that wouldn't happen anyway.

'Rose' had made Robyn completely invisible, and inaudible, to the aliens, and the Nestene Duplicates, in order to save her, and for that he was grateful. At least she'd be able to get away, for a little while, until the universe collapsed. "And you lot, working together," he said in disbelief. "An _alliance_... how is that possible?"

"The cracks in the skin of the universe," said the white Dalek, as all the aliens milled around the captive Doctor.

"All reality is threatened," added the Sontaran General.

"All universes will be deleted," said the Cyber Leader.

"What, and you've come to me for help?"

The Sontaran General looked at him smugly. "No," he replied. "_We_ will save the universe. From _you!_"

"From me?"

"All projections correlate," the Cyber Leader responded. "All evidence concurs. The Doctor will destroy the universe."

The Doctor shook his head, pulling against his restraints. "No, no, no," he said in horror. "You've got it _wrong_."

"The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the alliance."

"A scenario was devised from the memories of your companion," the white Dalek elaborated.

"A trap the Doctor could not resist," the Sontaran General sneered.

"The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor," the white Dalek continued. "It is confirmed."

The Doctor shook his head again. "No, no, no, not me, the _TARDIS_, and I'm not _in _the TARDIS, am I?"

"Only the Doctor can pilot the TARDIS," the white Dalek said coldly.

"_Please_," the Doctor begged, becoming desperate now. "Listen to me!"

"You will be prevented."

"Total event collapse! Every sun will _supernova_ at every moment in history. The _whole_ universe will _never _have _existed!_ _Please_, listen to me!"

"Seal the Pandorica," said the Cyber Leader, the Doctor's warnings going unheeded.

There was a rumbling, and the sides of the Pandorica began to shift, but the Doctor knew he had to make one final effort to make the alliance listen to him. "Please, listen to me! The TARDIS is exploding right _now_, and I'm the _only_ one who can stop it!"

But it was too late, and he only just managed to bellow one final "LISTEN TO ME!" as the panels closed over him, sealing him inside the box.

Back in the TARDIS, River managed to open the doors... to find herself in front of a stone wall. "I'm sorry, my love," she murmured, looking back in time as the console erupted into a pillar of flame.

And that was how the universe ended.

**OoOoOoOoO**

As soon as the Pandorica sealed itself, the effects of the universe being erased from existence began to be felt. Planets fell, suns turned into supernova, and as each ceased to exist, so did their inhabitants... including the ones currently in the main chamber of the Underhenge. Robyn's eyes widened in alarm as Romans, and Sontarans, Judoon, Cybermen, even _Daleks_, were turned to stone or crumbled into dust as their planets were erased. She shut her eyes tight, expecting the same to happen to her...

But it didn't.

She opened her eyes gingerly, then looked up at 'Rose'. "Why am I still here?" she asked. "Shouldn't the same thing have happened to me?"

"We're in the Eye of the Storm," 'Rose' replied. "We're protected, but the effects of the universe collapsing will catch up with you soon."

Robyn gulped. "So, this is it. This is really the end of the universe." She looked at the Pandorica, and nearly started to cry again. "Is there any way to get him out?"

'Rose' shook her head. "Not yet," she said, pressing a light kiss to the little girl's hair. "But we'll be able to get him out very soon."

"We will?" asked Robyn, her eyes shining. "And he'll be able to save everyone?"

'Rose' said nothing for a few moments, then nodded. "He'll be able to save everyone," she agreed. "He always does."

Looking back at the stone aliens, and the piles of dust, then frowned. "Why couldn't they see me?" she said. "They should've heard me, or something!"

"I made it so the only one who could see you was your father," 'Rose' replied. "But I also made it so no one could hear you. It was the only way to keep you safe."

Robyn looked up at her, horrorstruck. "So he could... _Oh... Dad!_" Climbing out of 'Rose's' lap, Robyn approached the Pandorica. "You could see me, that whole time..." She swallowed. "I'll find a way to get you out of there, Dad. I swear I will." She turned back to 'Rose'. "If you've got anything to show me, anything that can help at all, show me now."

'Rose' stood, then nodded. "I'll show you, but you understand that what I'm about to show you has, and hasn't, happened yet, okay?"

"Okay."

The two of them held hands, and then there was a flash of bright white light, and they found themselves in front of a house. The same house that the TARDIS had taken River to... the same house that the Doctor first met Amelia Pond.

Amelia's house.

With a snap of her fingers, 'Rose' sent them inside, into a bedroom, where a little girl, not unlike Robyn, was kneeling at her bed, praying to Santa. "That's Amelia," she explained. "As she was the night she met the Doctor... well, the way she was in the cracked universe. When she was still being called Amelia. So we'll call her Amelia too."

"So, why have you brought me here?"

"Because she's the one you have to help believe again, in a way."

Robyn nodded. "This is the future, isn't it," she said sadly. "The future if the earth was the only planet left in the sky."

"Yes," 'Rose' replied. "But that's not the end of it."

She snapped her fingers again, and this time, they found themselves in the living room. Amelia was there, but so were two older women. One of them was Amelia's Aunt Sharon, 'Rose' explained, but the other was one of the psychiatrists Aunt Sharon had brought in when Amelia started spouting stories about things that never existed. They were looking at a piece of artwork, the crude painting that only a young child would make. The painting was a mass of blue, and dotted amongst the blue were the moon, of course, and bright yellow stars. But, as 'Rose' continued to explain, the psychiatrist, and Aunt Sharon, didn't know what the stars were, because now stars no longer existed.

"Stars are only the things of fairy tales," 'Rose' said sadly. "But there are people in this world who remember them, and every single one who does... travelled with your father."

Robyn's eyes widened. "They did?"

'Rose' nodded. "They did. And they know that this world is wrong. They also know that the Doctor is out there, and that he'll put everything back the way it was."

"But he can't," Robyn replied. "He's still inside the Pandorica, and I don't know how to get him out!"

Wordlessly, 'Rose' snapped her fingers once again, and time fast forward around them. She led Robyn back outside, where Amelia, her Aunt Sharon, and the psychiatrist were looking up to the night sky. "They're trying to convince Amelia that stars don't exist, but she knows better. Just like us."

"We have to fix this," Robyn murmured. "We have to get my Dad out of the Pandorica."

They watched the little girl, and the two women a few moments longer, then followed Amelia when Aunt Sharon sent her to bed. They could hear the conversation between Aunt Sharon and the psychiatrist, and Robyn couldn't help but feel angry. Until she met her father, she'd been treated in the same manner, no one ever believing a word she said. Then Amelia's ears pricked up and she got out of bed, running to the landing where she could see down the stairs without Aunt Sharon noticing her. 'Rose' and Robyn followed her, to see what she was seeing.

When they got there, Robyn saw something fall to the floor through the mail slot on the front door, and someone wearing a fez, and a _tweed jacket_, run off. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "That was my _Dad!_" she exclaimed, looking up at 'Rose' and beaming. "He's... he's going to get out of the Pandorica!"

'Rose' smiled. "I told you he was."

"But this proves it!"

"It does, doesn't it?"

Then Robyn frowned. "We're not finished here yet, are we?" she asked.

'Rose' shook her head. "Nope."

"Then let's keep going."

A wide grin spreading across her face, 'Rose' snapped her fingers again, and this time they found themselves in a museum. The same museum that the Doctor had given Amelia the brochure for.

The same museum that was currently housing the _Pandorica_.

They followed closely as little Amelia dragged her Aunt through the exhibits, until they became separated. But Amelia pressed on, quickly finding the Pandorica amidst a throng of onlookers. The box looked more or less the same as it did in 102 AD, Robyn noted, if not a little worse for wear from the passage of time. Even though it had been thousands of years for the box, it had only been mere moments since the last time she'd lay eyes on it, and considering the last time she saw it, her father was being imprisoned inside of it, she couldn't help but hate it a little. In fact, she became so fixated on the box, that she almost didn't notice a hand reach in and tear Amelia's drink from her hands, and place a post it note on the Pandorica in one motion. But when she saw the note, she grinned.

It was her father's handwriting.

"She's going to open the Pandorica," said Robyn. "_She's_ going to free my Dad!"

"That's what it looks like, isn't it?" 'Rose' replied. "But you're wrong."

Robyn looked at her in confusion. "I am?"

"Watch," said 'Rose, snapping her fingers once again. Time fast forward again, and the museum emptied... and Amelia emerged from an exhibit on 'Nile Penguins', where she'd kept herself hidden until the museum had closed. The little girl approached the Pandorica apprehensively, looking at the big box and wondering what was inside. She placed her hand on the side, and then, to her amazement, and Robyn's as well, the Pandorica started to _open!_

The Pandorica started to open, only to reveal...

"Amy?" Robyn looked at the older girl in shock, then up at 'Rose'. "What's Amy doing in there?" she asked. "I thought my Dad was still in there?"

"He is," 'Rose' replied. "And at the same time, he isn't."

Of course, now that she knew _Amy_ had been in the Pandorica all that time, Robyn wondered what happened that she needed to be put in there in the first place.

"Rory killed her," said 'Rose', sensing the question that was playing on the little girl's mind. "It was an accident, because of the Nestene programming. He tried to fight it, but it didn't work."

Robyn swallowed. "But she's alive now..."

"The Pandorica did that. One of its functions is to be able to keep someone in suspended animation. Keeps you alive."

"So, once my Dad is let out, he's going to put Amy in, and then Amelia will open it here, and bring Amy back to life."

'Rose' smiled. "That's the idea," she replied. "But now, this is where I have to take you back. We can't stay here any longer."

But before Robyn could protest this, 'Rose' snapped her fingers again, sending them back to the main chamber of the Underhenge. It looked exactly the same as it was when they left it, even the stone aliens were still there...

Including the Stone Dalek.

"That's going to be in the museum," Robyn murmured. "It's going to be taken from here when the Pandorica is discovered."

'Rose' frowned. "As much as I hate to say it, that will still have to happen. We can't change a thing now, and I don't think we could even if we tried."

Robyn walked over to the stairs, looking up them and thinking about Rory. "He's up there, isn't he?" she asked. "Rory, I mean. He's up there, with Amy... and she'd dead."

'Rose' nodded. "Yeah. But you know she'll be okay. We both saw it."

"Time can be rewritten."

"You should go to him. He needs a friend right now."

Robyn winced. "Won't he try to kill me?"

"No more Nestene, no more signal. He won't try to kill you. Not now."

"You're sure about that?"

'Rose' moved to the little girl's side, and knelt before her. "I am always sure," she said. "I'm sure that he won't kill you, and I'm sure that everything will turn out all right in the end, and I'm sure that the Doctor will be let out of the Pandorica and... I'm sure that your father is the greatest man in the universe. I _should_ know, because I loved him." 'Rose' smiled. "I still do."

For a moment, Robyn noticed an odd similarity between 'Rose's' face and her own. The shape, the curve of their jaws, they looked so strangely alike... she shook her head, clearing the image from her mind. She'd have to ask her father why they looked so similar, but it wasn't the most important thing at that time. "All right," she replied. "I'll go upstairs. Rory needs me right now, and if there's a way to get my father out of the Pandorica then we'll work it out together."

'Rose' smiled sadly. "That's my girl," she said, then realised her mistake. "I mean... that's good. That's very good."

Robyn noticed 'Rose's' mistake, but didn't say anything, letting her gather her into one last hug. "Is this the last time we're going to see each other?" she asked. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I hope so," 'Rose' replied. "If everything goes to plan, we'll see each other again very soon."

Breaking out into a wide smile, Robyn hugged her again, and the pair of them remained that way for a few moments, then reluctantly let go. She glanced at the Pandorica, and blew it a kiss, then turned and walked up the stairs.

'Rose' smiled as she watched her leave, then turned to face the Pandorica. "You've done a good job with her, Doctor," she said, walking towards the huge box. "For only a couple of months, you've taken very good care of our daughter." She patted the side of the box. "I wish we could've been together, a family, all three of us, but I know the way you left things at Bad Wolf Bay was the better option. It wouldn't be right for her to see me grow old, and have you remain the same." She pressed a kiss to the box. "I'll always love you, Doctor. Goodbye."

And with that, 'Rose' disappeared.

**OoOoOoOoO**


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Rory sat in the mud, cradling Amy's lifeless body across his lap. The universe had ended, twice, if you counted Amy's death as the end of _his _universe. What _was_ he? Why did that signal affect him? Why couldn't he stop himself from killing Amy? There was nothing to live for now. He had no purpose anymore. He couldn't even understand why he still existed. The Doctor had said the entire universe would cease to exist when the TARDIS exploded, so why were they still there?

He sighed. "So the universe ended," he said to Amy, even though she couldn't hear him. "You missed that. In 102 AD. I suppose this means you and I never get born at all... twice, in my case. You would've laughed at that." He lifted Amy's head. "Please laugh!" He sighed again. "The Doctor said the universe was huge and ridiculous, and sometimes there were miracles. I could use a ridiculous miracle about now."

"Would a not so ridiculous little girl help instead?" asked Robyn, emerging from the Underhenge. She walked over and sat down beside him, not caring that she was getting her knees dirty in the mud. "A... friend told me you'd be up here."

"Aren't you afraid I might kill you?" Rory asked sourly. He lifted Amy's body slightly. "I've already done it once."

Robyn shook her head. "My _friend_ told me you were free. No more Nestene, no more signal, so no more killing."

"Your friend seems pretty well informed, whoever they are."

"She's... pretty special, my friend. She knows things."

Rory looked at her sadly. "Does she know how to bring someone back from the dead?"

But before Robyn could answer his question, there was a flash of bright blue light, and the crackle of electricity to her left. She quickly leapt to her feet, as the Doctor, dressed exactly as he was back at the museum, appeared out of nowhere. He was also holding a mop, to her amusement. "Dad!" She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

"Robyn," he said, returning the hug. "You need to let go of me now, I have to talk to Rory."

She nodded, reluctantly letting go. She'd have him back soon enough.

The Doctor turned to Rory. "Rory, listen," he said urgently. "She's not dead. Well, she _is_ dead, but it's not the end of the world." He frowned, then swung the mop onto his other shoulder. "Well, it _is _the end of the world," he corrected. "Actually, it's the end of the universe." He glanced at the mop, then made a noise as if he'd remembered something important. "Oh, no, hold on," he said, then with another flash of blue light, and crackle of electricity, he disappeared.

"Dad!" cried Robyn, at the same time as Rory cried out, "Doctor!"

There was another flash of blue light, and suddenly the Doctor came back, minus the mop. "You need to get me out of the Pandorica," he told them.

Rory looked at him in confusion. "But you're _not_ in the Pandorica."

"Yes, I am," the Doctor corrected, taking the sonic screwdriver from his pocket. "Well, I'm not now, but I was back then. Well, back now from _your_ point of view, which is back then from _my_ point of view." He grinned. "Time Travel, you can't keep it straight in your head." Lifting the sonic screwdriver, he demonstrated how to open the Pandorica. "It's easy to open from the outside, just point and press." He handed Rory the screwdriver. "Now go." Then he disappeared again.

"Ooh, he's insufferable sometimes," Robyn growled, growing impatient with all the backing and forthing her father was doing.

The Doctor reappeared. "Oh, and when you're done, leave the screwdriver in her top pocket. Good luck!"

Rory looked at the screwdriver, and the space the Doctor had just occupied. "What do you mean?" he cried. "Done _what?_"

"Let him out of the Pandorica, of course," Robyn replied, rubbing the dirt off her knees. "We have to get him out of there."

"But he's not _in_ the Pandorica, is he?"

Robyn nodded. "The aliens came and locked him in there." She turned and started to go back downstairs. "Now, are you coming?"

Rory gently laid Amy's body on the ground, covering her with a blanket. "So how did _you_ escape?" he asked, following the little girl down into the Underhenge. "If the Doctor's inside the Pandorica, then how did you..." The question died on Rory's lips, as he saw the fossilised remains of the aliens. "Oh. That's how."

"Yeah, that happened as soon as everything went supernova," said Robyn, approaching the giant box. "My _friend_ kept me safe, but I still had to watch as they put Dad inside of this." She nodded to the sonic screwdriver. "You can get him out with that, like he said."

"Do you think he'll be able to help Amy?" asked Rory, picking up one of the torches from the ground and lighting it.

Robyn bit her lip, desperately wanting to tell him what 'Rose' had shown her. "He might," she said carefully. "But I'm not really sure." She looked at the floor. "I hope he can." She glanced at the screwdriver again. "We haven't got a lot of time; you better do as he told you before we're all erased from existence."

Rory nodded, then pointed the sonic at the Pandorica and pushed the button. The tool clicked and whirred, and at the same time, the panels on the Pandorica began to shift. As white light poured into the room for the second time that night, the Doctor looked at the pair of them in surprise, clearly not expecting to be let out so quickly. "How did you do that?" he asked, as the restraints opened.

"You gave me this," Rory replied, showing him the sonic screwdriver.

"No, I didn't," the Doctor insisted, pulling the _sonic screwdriver_ from his pocket!

"You did," said Rory. "Look at it."

The Doctor climbed out of the Pandorica, staring at the screwdriver in Rory's hand, then touched the two screwdrivers together. Sparks flew, as some kind of discharge passed between the tools. "Temporal energy," he explained. "Same screwdriver, at two different points in its own time stream. Which means it _was_ me who gave it to you. Me from the future." He smiled. "I've got a future. That's nice." He looked at the Stone Dalek, and his smile faltered. "That's not."

"Yeah, what _are_ they?"

"History has collapsed," the Doctor replied, returning the sonic to his pocket. "Whole races have been deleted from existence. These are just like after-images." He walked over to a fossilised Nestene Duplicate and tapped it on the helmet. "Echoes, fossils in time. The footprints of the Never-Were."

Robyn and Rory looked at him, and then each other, in confusion. "Err, what does that mean?" asked Rory, voicing what both of them were thinking.

"Total event collapse. The universe literally never happened."

"So, how can we be here? What's keeping us safe?"

"Nothing," the Doctor replied. "Eye of the storm. We're just the last light to go out." He looked back at the fossilised Nestene Duplicate, then frowned, as he realised that only two of his companions were there. Someone was missing. "Amy," he murmured, turning back to them. "Where's Amy?"

Rory and Robyn looked at each other, grief-stricken. "There's something you should know," said Robyn, taking the Doctor's hand. "Something about Amy." She held back a sob. "Sorry. We should go upstairs; it'll be easier to show you than to tell you."

"I don't think I like the sound of that," the Doctor replied, reluctantly allowing the little girl to lead him to the stairs that lead back aboveground.

**OoOoOoOoO**

"I killed her," Rory said sadly, as the Doctor pulled back the blanket from Amy's lifeless body.

"Oh, _Rory_."

"Doctor, what am I?"

"You're a Nestene Duplicate," the Doctor replied, looking at Rory with contempt. "A lump of _plastic_ with _delusions _of humanity."

Rory frowned. "But I'm Rory now," he shot back. "Whatever was happening, it _stopped_. I'm Rory!"

The Doctor took the sonic screwdriver from his pocket again, and scanned Amy with it. "That's software talking," he said, checking the readouts.

"Can you help her?" Rory asked, hoping to get something productive out of the conversation. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Yeah, probably," the Doctor replied, standing up and putting the sonic back into his pocket. "If I had the time."

Robyn looked at her father in astonishment, but Rory... Rory was beginning to get angry. "The time?" he cried, appalled that the Doctor, someone he considered his _friend_, was talking so dismissively. As if saving Amy wasn't the most important thing in the world.

"All of creation has just been wiped from the sky," said the Doctor, stepping over Amy's body. "Do you know how many lives now never happened? All the people who never lived?" He glanced at Robyn, and winked at her, as if letting her in on a private joke. "Your _girlfriend_ isn't more important than the whole universe."

Robyn looked at Rory, and her eyes widened as she realised what her father was doing. He was making Rory _angry_, by telling him that Amy wasn't as important as the rest of the universe. Her father was spinning the most outrageous lie to make Rory absolutely furious with him! Obviously it was working, she gathered from the look on Rory's face, and she yelped when he suddenly grabbed the Doctor's shoulder, turned him around, and sent him sprawling to the ground with one swift punch!

"She is to me!" he roared.

With a laugh, the Doctor leapt to his feet. "Welcome back, Rory Williams!" he exclaimed, working his jaw. "Sorry, had to be sure," he apologised, rubbing the spot where Rory had hit him. "Hell of a gun-arm you're packing there." He cleared his throat, then returned to Amy's body. "Right, we have to get her downstairs, and get that look off your plastic face, you're getting married in the morning."

"I am?" said Rory, looking at him, completely dumbfounded.

Robyn frowned, equally confused. "He is?"

"Of course he is!"

Rory and Robyn stood there for a few moments, then looked at each other. "Well, you heard him," said Robyn, moving to follow her father. "We better get her downstairs."

Without another word, Rory scooped Amy's body into his arms, and the three of them carefully navigated the staircase down into the Underhenge. The open Pandorica loomed before them, the white light still pouring into the room. Remembering what 'Rose' had shown her, she knew that the Doctor had the right idea in placing Amy inside the huge box. Once they reached the Pandorica, the Doctor took Amy's body and propped her up on the seat, placing her hands in the manacles.

"So, you've got a plan then?" asked Rory, watching him work.

"Bit of a plan, yeah," the Doctor replied. "Memories are more powerful than you think," he explained, "and Amy Pond is no ordinary girl. Grew up with a time crack in her wall, the universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes took a memory print of her, and got a bit more than they bargained for. Like you. Not just your face, but your heart and your soul." He placed his hands on Amy's face, spreading his fingers and thumbs so they were on her temples and the sides of her nose. "I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up," he continued, closing his eyes, "so she knows what's happening."

When he was finished, he jumped out of the Pandorica and used the sonic screwdriver to close it, as Rory looked on in shock. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm saving her. This box is the ultimate prison. You can't even escape by dying. It _forces_ you to stay alive."

"But she's already dead," Rory argued.

"Well, she mostly dead," the Doctor corrected.

Robyn looked at him in confusion. "What, like in 'The Princess Bride'?"

The Doctor nodded. "That's exactly what it's like. The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way. All it needs now is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her."

"Where's it going to get that?" asked Rory.

"In about two thousand years," the Doctor told him, checking his watch.

"She's going to be in that box for two _thousand_ years?"

Picking up the vortex manipulator from the base of the Pandorica, the Doctor nodded, slipping the device onto his wrist. "Yeah, but we're taking a short-cut. River's vortex manipulator. Rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We'll be fine."

"So, hang on, the future's still there then," said Rory, trying to get everything straight in his head. "Our world?"

"A version of it," the Doctor replied, securing the vortex manipulator so it didn't fall off. "Not _quite_ the one you know. Earth alone in the sky. Let's go and have a look." He held his hands out to both of his companions. "You put your hand there. Don't worry, should be safe."

Rory shook his head. "That's not what I'm worried about."

The Doctor leaned against the Pandorica and smiled. "She'll be fine," he assured him. "_Nothing_ can get into this box."

"_You_ got in there," Rory scoffed.

"Well, there's only one of me. I counted."

But Rory wasn't buying that. "This box needs a guard," he said. "I killed the last one."

"No, Rory, no. Don't even _think_ about it," the Doctor replied, pacing the room.

"She'll be all alone."

"She won't feel it!"

"You _bet_ she won't!" Rory exclaimed, not prepared to let the Doctor win the argument.

"Two thousand years, Rory," the Doctor warned. "You won't even sleep. You'll be conscious every second. It would drive you... _mad!_"

Rory looked at the Pandorica sadly. "Will she be safer if I stay?" he asked. "Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn't be safer."

The Doctor sighed. "Rory..."

"_Answer me!_"

An awkward silence fell over the group, but they all knew the answer that Rory wanted, the answer that was the complete and total truth, and the only answer that there should have been. "Yes," the Doctor said quietly. "Obviously."

"Then how could I leave her?"

Robyn took her father by the hand, taking care to make sure she touched the vortex manipulator with her fingers. "Let him stay, Dad," she said. "You're not going to convince him, and besides, I think it's nice that he wants to keep her safe."

The Doctor looked down at his daughter, then back at Rory. "Why do you have to be so... _human_?"

"Because right now, I'm not," he replied, crossing the room and picking up his helmet.

Now it was time for Robyn and the Doctor to leave. "Listen to me," the Doctor began, programming the coordinates into the vortex manipulator. "This is the last piece of advice you're going to get for a long time. You're living plastic, but you're not immortal; I have _no _idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible, stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along. You can't heal or repair yourself, any damage is permanent. So for _God's sake_, however bored you get, stay out of..."

But Rory never heard the end of the Doctor's sentence, for he pushed the final button on the vortex manipulator as he spoke, and in a flash, he and Robyn were gone.

He was alone.

Putting on his helmet, and taking his sword out of its scabbard, Rory sat down at the base of the Pandorica, fully prepared to face the long years ahead until he was reunited with Amy, Robyn, and the Doctor in the future.

And make a bit of history along the way.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Meanwhile, in the National Museum, 1,894 years later...

Amy scrambled out of the Pandorica, then crawled out of the exhibit, gasping for breath. The little girl in front of her looked at her in alarm, as if she'd never seen someone gasping for breath before.

"Are you all right?" the little girl asked, her alarm quickly changing to concern. "Who are you?"

"I'm... fine," Amy replied hesitantly, answering the girl's first question, but not her second. "I'm supposed to rest," she panted. "Got to rest, the Doctor says."

The little girl frowned. "What doctor?"

"He's in here," said Amy, tapping her head. "Left a message in my head like I'm an answer phone." She looked around. "Where am I?" After a moment, she smiled, when she worked out where she was. "Hang on, National Museum, right? I was here once when I was a little..." She looked at the little girl, and she trailed off, finally realising who she was talking to. "Yeah, complicated," she murmured, shaking her head as she got to her feet. She measured the height of the little girl against her own, and checked the length of her hair. "Let's see... it's what? 1996?"

"Who are you?" the little girl repeated, growing confused by the older girl's strange behaviour.

"It's a long story," Amy replied, taking a look around. Her eyes widened when she saw an illustrated timeline of the Pandorica's history. "A _very_ long story." She glanced up and down the wall, trying to see if there was any way to hear the story behind the timeline. Then she found a video screen, and on the top was the heading, 'The Legend of the Lone Centurion'." She pushed the button underneath and the video began.

"According to legend," the narrator began, "wherever the Pandorica was taken, through its long history, the Centurion would be there, guarding it. He appears as an iconic image in the artwork of many cultures, and there are several documented accounts of his appearances, and his warnings to the many who attempted to open the box before its time. His last recorded appearance was during the London Blitz in Nineteen Forty-One. The warehouse, where the Pandorica was stored, was destroyed by incendiary bombs, but the box itself was found the next morning, a safe distance from the blaze. There are eyewitness accounts from the night of the fire of a figure in Roman dress, carrying the box from the flames. Since then, there have been no sightings of the Lone Centurion, and many have speculated that if he ever existed, he perished in the fires of that night, performing one last act of devotion to the box he had pledged to protect for nearly two thousand years."

As Amy listened, she watched the images passing by, completely entranced as the video told Rory's story, for there was no doubt in her mind that it was him who had been guarding the Pandorica... guarding _her_... that whole time. "Rory," she breathed, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes and running down her cheeks. "Oh, _Rory_."

But the spell was broken, when a voice suddenly screamed, "Exterminate!"

"What's that?" the little girl asked, as Amy sprang into action, pulling the child behind her.

"Exterminate!" the Stone Dalek screamed again.

There was a flash of blue, and the Doctor and Robyn suddenly appeared in front of them. "...Trouble," said the Doctor, as if he was finishing a sentence, but hadn't actually said the start of it. His eyes widened at the sight of the Dalek. "Oh!" He looked back at Amy, and the little girl. "Ah! Two of you!" He grinned. "Complicated."

The Stone Dalek drew closer. "Exterminate!" it screamed, before adding, "Weapons systems restoring!"

Letting go of Robyn, the Doctor turned and ran, grabbing Amy and little Amelia and leading all three of them around the other side of the Pandorica, half expecting to find another exit, but instead, found only a dead end, running to one of the other exhibits.

"What are we doing?" asked Amy, obviously not impressed that his rescue attempt was going wrong.

"Well, we are running into a dead end," the Doctor replied quickly, nearly knocking over one of the figurines in the exhibit, taking off its fez at the same time. "Where I'm going to have a brilliant plan, that basically involves not being in one."

"What's going on?" a voice asked from the other side of the Pandorica.

Quickly heading to the side of the Pandorica, the Doctor glanced around and saw a museum guard standing on the other side of the Dalek and shining a torch into the room. "Get out of here," he told the three girls, waving them away. "Go! just run!"

"Drop the device," the Dalek ordered.

"It's not a weapon," the Doctor yelled. "Scan it. It's not a weapon, and you don't have the power to waste."

The Dalek did as it was told, scanning the device in the security guard's hand. "Scans indicate intruder unarmed."

"Do you think?" the guard replied sarcastically, dropping the torch to the floor. He pressed his fingers together, and then they folded down, as if on a hinge, revealing... a _gun!_ The guard fired, straight into the Dalek's eyestalk.

"Vision impaired!" the Dalek cried, as sparks jumped from its eyestalk. "Vision -"

Now that the Dalek had been disabled, the security guard stepped into the light...

And it was _Rory!_

"Amy!" he called, as he laid eyes on her for the first time in two thousand years. He'd spent so long waiting that he'd begun to lose hope that the Doctor would ever come back, or that he would ever see the day when Amy was alive and well again.

Amy's heart leapt to her throat. This was one surprise she had not been expecting; not after learning what had happened to him in the time he spent waiting for her. "Rory," she murmured, looking at him and hoping her eyes were not betraying her, then she ran to him, gathering him in the warmest, tightest embrace she could muster.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. It just happened," Rory stammered.

"Oh, shut up," Amy replied, pulling him into their first kiss for two thousand years, making sure it would be one they would _never_ forget.

"Yeah, shut up," the Doctor agreed. "Cause we've got to go! Come on!"

"I waited," Rory continued. "Two thousand years, I waited for you."

Amy shook her head. "No, still shut up," she said, kissing him again.

The Doctor leaned back, amazed at the stamina the couple were displaying. "And break," he prompted, leaning to the other side when they ignored him. "And _breathe!_"

Robyn laughed. "Oh, let them have their reunion, Dad!"

"Well, someone didn't get out much for two thousand years."

He glanced back at the Dalek, but Amelia tugged at his jacket, trying to get his attention. "Thirsty," she said. "Can I get a drink?"

The Doctor scowled at her. "It's all mouths today, isn't it?" he said, pushing the fez onto little Amelia's head, so it covered her eyes. She quickly took it off and pushed it back into his hands, then he finally got a good look at what had happened to the Dalek. "The light!" he exclaimed, looking at it with wonder. "The light from the Pandorica, it must have hit the Dalek." Of course, as usual, he had spoken too soon, for the Dalek now began to move! "Out, out, out!" the Doctor cried, ushering them all towards the exit.

"So, two thousand years," he said, addressing Rory as he locked the door with the sonic screwdriver. "How did you do?"

"Kept out of trouble," Rory replied.

"Oh." The Doctor looked at the fez, then gingerly put it on. "How?" he asked, running to the side and picking up a mop.

"Unsuccessfully," said Rory, and Amy couldn't help but smile at his response, recalling how the Doctor had said something similar on their first adventure together in space. He pointed to the mop. "The mop! That's how you looked all those years ago when you gave me the sonic."

Robyn nodded. "Yeah, that's how you looked, Dad."

The Doctor grinned. "Ah! Well, no time to lose then!" He pushed the buttons on the vortex manipulator, then disappeared. Robyn couldn't help but grin, since she already knew what he was telling her, and Rory's, past selves. He reappeared again, as quickly as he left, then put the mop in the door, blockading it further from the Dalek.

"How can he do that?" asked little Amelia. "Is he magic?"

Robyn looked at her, eyes shining brightly. "Is he magic?" she echoed. "Do fish swim?"

The Doctor disappeared again, and then reappeared again. "Right, let's go then," he said, leading them upstairs. Then he stopped, realising something. "Wait! Now I don't have the sonic, I just gave it to Rory two thousand years ago." He pushed the buttons on the vortex manipulator and disappeared, then reappeared again. "Right then," he said, approaching Amy and pulling the sonic from her pocket. "Off we go!" He turned to leave, then stopped short again, realising something else that wasn't quite right. He turned and looked at little Amelia. "How do _you_ know to come here?" he asked.

Amelia handed him the brochure, and the two post it notes that had been left for her.

"Ah! My handwriting," the Doctor said with a smile, throwing them over his shoulder. He quickly moved over to a stand full of brochures and took one, then moved to a table and grabbed a pen and a pad of post it notes. He disappeared again, then reappeared again. "There you go," he said, handing little Amelia a cup with soft drink in it. "Drink up."

Amy shook her head, the Doctor's antics were beginning to give her a headache. "What _is_ that?" she asked. "How are you doing that?"

"Vortex manipulator," the Doctor replied. "Cheap and nasty time travel. Very bad for you. " He smiled. "I'm trying to give it up."

"Where are we going?"

"The roof."

As he turned to lead the group away, the five of them saw a flash of blue light, and a crackle of electricity... and lots, and lots, of thick _smoke_.

But the next thing they saw made Robyn want to scream.

**OoOoOoOoO**

At the top of the stairs was the Doctor, without his fez, covered in soot, his clothes singed. He hovered for a moment, then lost his balance, and toppled down the stairs, landing in front of the Doctor who _was_ wearing a fez.

"Doctor, it's you," said Rory, as the Doctor wearing the fez scanned his future self with the sonic screwdriver. "How can it be you?"

"Doctor, _is_ that you?" asked Amy, looking at the future Doctor in horror.

"Yeah, it's me," their Doctor replied. "Me from the future."

"What's going on?" asked little Amelia, completely unnerved that there was suddenly a version of the man who'd saved them now lying on the floor near death.

A lump formed in Robyn's throat. "That's my Dad," she replied, fighting to keep the emotion from her voice. "They both are, just at different points in their time streams, and it looks like..." She trailed off, as tears began to pour down her face. "He's going to get killed sometime in the future." She swallowed. "And I'll be alone again. For a little while, until the eye of the storm closes, and we all cease to exist." She turned to little Amelia, unable to bring herself to look at... the body... any longer. "I come from a universe that had stars," she said. "A universe that _always_ had stars, and that's the way the universe is supposed to be. Amelia, you were _right_."

"I am?" Amelia replied, smiling slightly

Robyn nodded, smiling back at her. "You are. You _always_ were! This universe is wrong, and you knew." Her smile faded as she glanced back at the dying Doctor. "And now we're all doomed because my Dad's going to... going to..."

Suddenly the dying Doctor opened his eyes, then leaned up and grabbed their Doctor and whispered something in his ear, and then with one last shudder, lay back on the floor.

"Are you... I mean, is he... is he _dead_?" asked Amy.

"What?" the Doctor replied, trying to comprehend what just happened. Then he stood abruptly. "Dead? Yes, yes, of course he's dead," he said dismissively, stepping over his body and continuing up the stairs. "Right, I've got twelve minutes, that's good."

Amy scowled. "Twelve minutes to live? _How _is that good?" she asked angrily, looking at Robyn. "Considering that she's going to lose her Dadin twelve minutes!"

Robyn ran up the stairs, then wrapped her arms around Amy's waist. "Amy, please don't be angry with him," she begged. "We shouldn't start fighting now, there's too much to deal with."

The Doctor looked at his daughter sadly, then shook his head, remembering the matter at hand. "You can do loads in twelve minutes," he said. "Suck a mint, buy a sledge, take a fast bath. Come on, the roof!"

"We can't leave you here, _dead_," Rory protested, kneeling by the other Doctor's body.

The Doctor looked at him sharply. "Oh, good. Are you in charge now?" he asked sarcastically, then said, "So, tell me, what are you going to do about Amelia?"

Rory, Amy, and Robyn, looked up, and found that the little girl was gone. She'd completely vanished, as if she never existed. They ran back down the stairs, hoping that she'd only wandered off, but there was no sign of her at all, except for her drink cup lying forlornly on the floor where she'd stood not moments before.

Amelia Pond was gone.

"Where'd she go?" asked Amy, looked around the corner.

"Amelia?" called Rory, hoping that the little girl could hear him.

"There _is_ no Amelia," the Doctor told them. "From now on, there never was. History is still collapsing."

Amy frowned. "But how I still be here, if she's not?"

"You're an anomaly. We all are," the Doctor replied. "We're all just hanging on at the Eye of the Storm, but the Eye is closing, and if we don't do something fast, reality will never have happened." He started to lead them on, then turn to face them again. "Today, just _dying_ is a result. Now, come on!"

Amy and Robyn watched as he ran off, and Rory took off his uniform jacket and covered the Doctor's body. "He won't die," said Amy, hopefully. "Time can be rewritten. He'll find a way. I know he will."

"I hope so," Robyn replied, gingerly taking her by the hand. "I really do."

"Move it!" the Doctor called back. "Come on!"

But as the three of them moved to follow him, Robyn couldn't help thinking this would be one of the last times she would ever see her father alive.

**OoOoOoOoO**

It didn't take very long for them to reach the roof, and when they did, they emerged into sunlight, as if there'd been a sudden shift from night to day all within the space of a few minutes.

Amy looked around in confusion. "What, it's morning already?" she asked, climbing out of the hatchway. "How did that happen?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Robyn, as she and Rory climbed out behind her. "But I don't it's good at all."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "History is shrinking. Is anybody listening to me?" He turned and jumped up onto a ventilation unit, using the sonic to remove a satellite dish. "Universe is collapsing," he continued. "We don't have much time left."

Rory frowned as he watched the Doctor work the satellite dish free. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for the TARDIS."

"But the TARDIS exploded."

"Okay, then, I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS," the Doctor corrected, pulling the satellite dish free in a shower of sparks.

"I don't understand," said Amy, as the Doctor, jumping down from the ventilation unit, and walking to the edge of the roof. "So, the TARDIS blew up and took the universe with it. But why would it do that?" she asked. "How?"

"Good question, for another day," the Doctor shot back. "The question for _now_ is, total event collapse means that every star in the universe never happened, not one single one of them ever shone. So, if all the stars there ever were are gone, then what," he turned to face the ball of light shining high in the sky, "is _that_?"

Robyn looked at the ball of light, letting the Doctor's question turn in her head. The easiest explanation would be to say the ball of light was the sun, but she knew deep down that wasn't true. The TARDIS had exploded, taking everything, every single star and planet, out with it.

So how did the Earth survive this long, even with the Eye of the Storm closing around it, when it didn't have a sun?

Not it's original sun, at any rate.

Her hands flew to her mouth, and she knew what her father was talking about. The 'sun' that they could see, was not the 'sun' at all.

"Like I said," the Doctor continued. "I'm looking for an exploding TARDIS."

"But that's the sun," Rory replied, looking at him in confusion.

The Doctor whirled around. "Is it? Well, here's the noise that 'sun' is making right now," he said, lifting the satellite dish and sonicking it.

A familiar wheezing and groaning noise filled the air, and Robyn's heart nearly stopped.

The 'sun' was the TARDIS.

"That's my TARDIS," the Doctor said sadly. "Burning up. That's what's been keeping the Earth warm."

Rory's ears pricked up, and he realised he could hear something else underneath the sound of the TARDIS. "Doctor, there's something else," he said, listening carefully. "There's a voice."

Amy frowned, unable to make out anything but the TARDIS. "I can't hear anything."

"Trust the plastic."

The Doctor sonicked the satellite dish a second time, increasing the volume, and this time they could all hear the voice Rory had told them about.

A voice repeating, over and over, saying, "I'm sorry, my love."

Robyn's eyes widened. "Oh my..."

"Doctor, that's River!" Amy exclaimed. "How can she be up there?"

"It must be like a recording or something," Rory suggested.

"No, it's not a recording," the Doctor replied. He winced, realising what was going on. "Of course, the emergency protocols," he said. "The TARDIS has sealed off the control room and put her into a time-loop to save her! She is right at the heart of the explosion!"

"Is there any way we can get her out?" asked Robyn.

"I'll have to use the vortex manipulator to zap up there and get her."

Robyn nodded. "All right, but be careful, Dad."

The Doctor pushed a few buttons on the vortex manipulator, then disappeared in a flash of blue light, reappearing instantly on the TARDIS. He grinned at River. "Hi honey," he greeted cheekily. "I'm home."

River checked her watch. "And what sort of time do you call this?"

"Time to go," the Doctor replied, taking her arm and pushing the buttons on the vortex manipulator again.

"Amy! Robyn!" River exclaimed, as the pair of them reappeared on the roof. She looked at Rory in surprise. "And the plastic Centurion?"

"It's okay," the Doctor reassured her. "He's on our side."

River raised an eyebrow. "Really? I dated a Nestene Duplicate once. Swappable head, it did keep things fresh." She clapped her hands together. "Right then, I have questions, but number one is this..." She pointed to the fez. "What, in the name of sanity, have you got on your head?"

The Doctor grinned. "It's a fez," he replied. "I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool."

Robyn laughed. "He's right. Fezzes _are_ cool, especially he wears them!"

River and Amy exchanged a conspiratorial look, and then working as one unit, Amy grabbed the fez off the top of the Doctor's head and threw it in the air, while River pulled out her Meson blaster and fired at the airborne headgear, destroying it instantly, with a satisfied smirk playing on her lips. But her smirk quickly faded as the voice of the Stone Dalek reached everyone's ears, appearing over the edge of the roof.

"Run, run, move, move," the Doctor ordered, pushing Robyn behind him and moving to grab the satellite dish, using it as a shield while they all ran back to the hatchway. Luckily when the Dalek fired at them, the blasts hit the satellite dish, or whatever else got in its way, but Robyn couldn't help but feel relieved that her father hadn't been hit.

But at the same time, as much as she hated to think about it, she knew it would happen soon...

And she would need to be ready to say goodbye.

**OoOoOoOoO**


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

River kept her Meson blaster trained on the hatchway as the Doctor worked to seal it shut. "Doctor, come on," she said urgently. There was no time left to waste to be worrying about one Stone Dalek, and she didn't want to hang around any longer until it came back.

"Shh," said the Doctor, putting the sonic back in his pocket. "It's moving away," he whispered, climbing down the ladder. "Finding another way in. It needs to restore its power before it can attack again. Now, that means we've got exactly," he quickly checked his watch, "four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity."

"How do you know?" asked Rory, as the Doctor pushed past him.

"Because that's when it's due to kill me."

River lowered her Meson blaster, then turned and looked at him in alarm. "Kill you?" she echoed. "What do you mean, _kill_ you?"

But the Doctor wasn't about to talk about it any further. "Oh, shut up, never mind," he said dismissively, leading the group back through the museum. "How can that Dalek even exist?" he said, posing the question to his companions. "It was erased from time, and then it came back. How?"

"You said the light from the Pandorica..." Rory suggested.

"It's not a light, it's a restoration field," the Doctor corrected. "But never mind, call it a light. That light brought Amy back, restored her, but how could it bring back a Dalek, when the Daleks have _never_ existed?"

Amy shrugged. "Okay, tell us."

"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse. A time explosion, and _that _explosion blasted every atom in every moment of the universe, except..."

Robyn's eyes widened, when she realised what he was talking about, then smiled brightly.

Amy smiled as well. "Except _inside_ the Pandorica!" she said, finishing the Doctor's sentence.

The Doctor grinned. "The perfect prison," he explained, "and inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was. In theory, you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them, like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."

Rory shook his head. "No, too fast, I'm not getting it."

"The box contains a memory of the universe, and the light transmits the memory, and _that's _how we're going to do it."

"Do what?" Amy demanded.

"Relight the fire," the Doctor replied. "Reboot the universe." He grinned again. "Come on!" Turning on his heel, he started back through the museum, heading for the room the Pandorica was kept in.

"Doctor, you're being completely ridiculous," said River, running after him, with Robyn hot on her heels. "The Pandorica partially restored _one_ Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how's it going to reboot the whole of reality?"

"What if we give it a moment of infinite power?" the Doctor replied, turning to face her. "What if we can transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of time and space simultaneously?"

River rolled her eyes, amazed at the absolute ludicrousness of his plan. "Well, that _would _be lovely dear, but we can't, because it's completely impossible."

"Ah, no, you see," said the Doctor, tapping her head. "It's not. It's _almost_ completely impossible. One spark is all we need."

"For what?"

Robyn grinned. "Big Bang Two."

The Doctor grinned back at her. "Big Bang Two," he echoed. "Now listen..." He turned to continue on his way, then suddenly... he was engulfed in bright blue light, his insides showing like the negative of a photograph.

"DAD!" Robyn screamed, as she felt hands pull her over to Amy and Rory as the two of them ducked behind the wall, using it for cover. She squirmed in the arms of her rescuer, then turned to face them. "Rose?" she whispered.

"Hey, sweetheart," 'Rose' replied. She glanced over at the Doctor, smiling at him sadly. "Doctor." Looking up at the older girl, Robyn's face crumpled, and she burst into tears, finally letting out everything she'd been holding back ever since they saw the Doctor appear at the top of the stairs. 'Rose' held her tightly, giving her the biggest hug she could, while keeping her out of the Dalek's sight.

But the Dalek was approaching fast, screaming 'Exterminate, exterminate,' at the top of its voice. "Get back," Rory cried, gun-hand at the ready. "River, get back now!" He fired the gun, managing to disable it, but he knew it wouldn't be long before it restored itself again.

But River didn't care about the Dalek, not when the Doctor was dying, as far as she knew. "Doctor," she said, kneeling beside the injured Time Lord. "Doctor, it's me, River. Doctor, can you hear me?" She was becoming desperate now, her voice breaking with emotion. "What is it? What do you need?"

All though he was in great pain, the Doctor looked back at Robyn, and at 'Rose'. He knew what he was about to do would make Robyn even more upset than she already was, but there was nothing he could do to avoid that.

'Rose' nodded in silent agreement.

So, while his muscles spasmed, the Doctor reached over and pushed the buttons on the vortex manipulator...

And disappeared.

**OoOoOoOoO**

River looked at the spot the Doctor had just vacated in shock. "Where did he go?" she cried, scrambling to her feet. "Damn it, he could be anywhere!"

"He went downstairs," Amy replied sadly. "Twelve minutes ago."

"Show me!" River demanded.

"River, he died."

A whirring noise came from the Dalek. "Systems restoring," he announced. "You will be exterminated."

"We've got to move," said Rory, keeping his gun-hand trained on the restoring Dalek. "That's thing's coming back to life."

"You go to the Doctor," River ordered. "I'll be right with you."

Robyn lifted her head, then broke away from 'Rose' and started to protest, but 'Rose' kept a firm grip on her shoulders. "We have to do what River says, sweetheart," she said, glancing at Amy and Rory. "And so do they."

River looked at 'Rose', wide eyed. "Rose Tyler," she murmured. "It's been a while."

'Rose' nodded. "It certainly has, River."

"You go wherever she does, don't you?"

'Rose nodded again. "Yeah. The Doctor trusts me to keep her safe when he can't."

Watching the two women talk, Rory was growing impatient. "Can we leave the reunions for another time?" he said. "We _really_ have to go."

"On our way," 'Rose' replied, taking Robyn by the hand, leading her away, Amy and Rory following them close behind.

River looked at the Dalek with contempt. She already hated Daleks with a passion, but she hated this particular Dalek the most at that moment. She wasn't going to just run away, not without letting it pay the price for what it had done. She had little bit of time before it restored itself enough to kill her as well, so she was going to savour every moment of its demise while she had the chance.

"You will be exterminated!" the Dalek screamed, continuing its way towards her.

"Not yet," she replied. "You're still restoring, which means your shield density is compromised." She took her Meson blaster out of the holster, adjusting it so she got the settings just right. "One Alpha Meson burst through your eye-stalk would kill you stone dead."

The Dalek went quiet for a moment, checking its databanks for information on River Song. "Records indicate you will show mercy," it said. "You are an associate of the Doctor's."

"I'm River Song," River replied, correcting it. She smiled wickedly. "Check your records again."

The Dalek went quiet again, doing as River had instructed and checking its databanks for a second time. "Mercy," it said, once it found the information it needed.

River lifted the Meson blaster, lining up her shot. "Say it again."

"Mercy," the Dalek repeated, this time managing to sound more worried.

"One more time."

"Mercy!" the Dalek screamed.

River pulled the trigger, and an energy bolt burst forth from the nozzle of the blaster, hitting the Dalek square in the eye-stalk. The combination of the energy bolt, and the power that the Dalek was using to restore itself surged all over the alien's casing, causing it to explode.

"That was for the Doctor," River said quietly, watching as the Dalek expired. "And for the little girl that's going to lose her father today because of you. Whoever set this up, they are going to pay for it, just as you have today."

On that note, she turned on her heel and walked away, intending to join the others where they'd left the Doctor's 'body'. "The things I do to look after you, Doctor," she muttered, holstering her weapon. "One day it's all going to catch up to you, if it hasn't already."

**OoOoOoOoO**

"Did she just call you _Rose_ Tyler?" Amy panted, as the four of them left River to deal with the Dalek. "You're Rose?"

"So, the Doctor's been talking about me, huh?" 'Rose' replied. "Good things, I hope?"

Robyn nodded, blinking back tears. "Only good things," she confirmed. "Nothing bad at all."

'Rose' gathered the little girl into a hug, then took her by the hand again. "Now, which way did you go to get to the roof?" she asked. "We need to get back to the Doctor."

"This way," said Rory, pointing down the hallway. "We left him on the stairs."

"Right," 'Rose' replied, breaking off into a sprint, pulling Robyn behind her.

It took all of their strength to keep up with the blonde haired woman, but when they reached the stairs, they found that something was missing. Rory's uniform jacket was still there, but the Doctor's body, wasn't.

"How could he have moved?" Rory asked in astonishment. "He was dead."

"But he was dead," Amy replied, unsure of herself.

'Rose' frowned. "When the Doctor appeared here," she murmured. "How long ago was it?"

"Twelve minutes," said Rory. "He said he had only twelve minutes to live."

"And how long did he say it would take the Dalek to get to lethal capacity?"

"Four and a half."

'Rose' turned to Robyn. "Sweetheart, check your watch," she said quietly. "How long has it really been since the Doctor appeared at the top of the stairs?"

Robyn lifted her watch, looking at the dial carefully. She couldn't look at it too long, because it was a present from her father, and was a painful reminder that she didn't need at that moment. Then she realised what 'Rose' was trying to tell her. "It's only been ten minutes," she replied. "Ten minutes and fifty four seconds."

Amy shook her head. "What are you talking about?" she asked, looking at them, not understanding Robyn's discovery.

"It's only been ten minutes, and fifty four seconds since the Doctor, the Doctor who was dying, appeared at the top of the stairs," said 'Rose', straightening to her full height. "Ten minutes, and fifty four seconds."

"And what does that mean?" asked Rory.

Amy scowled. "He was dead, wasn't he?"

"Who told you that?" said River, joining them at that moment.

"He did," Amy replied.

'Rose' shook her head, sharing a conspiratorial look with River. "He would say that."

"Rule One," said River. "The Doctor lies."

"Where's the Dalek?"

"It died."

'Rose' allowed herself a small smile. "I'm sure it did."

Robyn looked up at 'Rose' with wonder on her face. Did she really mean what she thought she meant? Was her watch right? Or was it just wishful thinking on her part? She wanted it to be true so desperately. Watching him get shot happened so quickly, so there'd been no time for her to even think about what she wanted to say to him. And then 'Rose' telling her to check her watch... she'd thought it was silly, just a meaningless way to distract her from losing the Doctor...

But now, she wasn't so sure.

"Amy," she murmured. "He's alive... at least, I _think_ he's alive."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Amy, it's only been ten minutes and fifty four seconds since he appeared at the top of the stairs... well, just over that now," Robyn replied. "He said he had _twelve_ minutes to live." Tears appeared in the corner of her eyes, and she smiled a watery smile. "He's _still_ alive! He was hurt, but he's _not_ dead!"

Rory frowned. "Then if he's not dead, where did he go?"

'Rose' smiled knowingly. "There's only one place he _could _go," she said. "Where would _you_ go if you were an injured Time Lord, and there's an _incredibly_ convenient restoration field nearby?"

Rory looked over at the door that the Doctor had barricaded with the mop... which _wasn't_. "Oh."

"He's gone back to the Pandorica!" Amy cried. "He's been there this whole time!"

'Rose' looked at her proudly. "That's exactly where he's gone, and he needs us right now." She took Robyn by the hand, then leaned down and kissed the top of the little girl's head. "He'll want to see all of us, before..."

"Before what?"

"I think it's better if we let him explain, right, River?"

River nodded. "Which means we shouldn't stay around here talking about it." She walked over to the door and threw it open. "Coming?"

**OoOoOoOoO**

The five of them ran into the room where the Pandorica was kept, and sure enough, they found the Doctor inside of it, hunched over and unconscious. Seeing him in such a state made Robyn even more determined to get to him, so she ran faster, and she reached the Pandorica first. She ducked underneath the security rope, as River joined her, and the two of them climbed up the base of the giant box.

"Dad," Robyn murmured. "Wake up, please, wake up!"

"Why did he tell us he was dead?" asked Rory, as he and Amy skidded to a halt in front of the Pandorica.

"We were a diversion," Amy replied. "As long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here."

River gently lifted the Doctor's head. "Doctor, can you hear me?" she asked, touching his face lightly. "What were you doing?"

Just then, there came a loud rumbling noise, and the entire room began to fill with an angry red light. The erasure of the universe was speeding up, River told them, pointing out the fact that all the exhibits, which hadn't really made sense in the first place, were now all gone.

Just like what had happened to Amelia Pond.

"Where did everything go?" asked Amy, looking the now empty spaces in alarm.

"History's being erased. Time's running out." She turned back to the Doctor, shaking him gently. "Doctor, what were you doing? Tell us... Doctor?"

For a moment, the Doctor didn't reply, then he opened his eyes a sliver, and Robyn smiled sadly. "Dad," she murmured, touching his cheek affectionately. "What were you doing?"

"Big... Bang... Two," he gasped, using all the strength he had just to make a coherent sentence.

"The Big Bang," Rory replied. "That's the beginning of the universe, right?"

"What, and Big Bang Two, that's the bang that brings us back?" asked Amy. "Is that what you mean?"

The Doctor nodded.

River's eyes widened. "Oh."

Amy looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"The TARDIS is still burning," River explained. "It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right at the heart of the fire..."

"Then what?" Amy demanded, an uneasy feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. She looked at Robyn, and there was a melancholy look on the girl's face, as if she realised what River was saying, and was accepting it.

"Then let there be light," River replied, turning back to the Doctor. "The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once. Just like he said." She glanced at Robyn, then at 'Rose', who nodded, prompting her to continue. "A restoration field, powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history."

"And that would work?"

'Rose' nodded. "The exploding TARDIS would give it the boost it needs to transmit the light across all of time and space, restoring everything, and everyone, that had been erased from time. Except for those swallowed by the cracks." She glanced at the Doctor. "But I'll let him explain further, when he's got some more of his strength back."

River picked up the sonic screwdriver, scanning the Doctor with it. "He's wired the vortex manipulator to the rest of the box."

"Why?"

"So he can take it with him," River replied. "He's going to take it with him."

Robyn looked at 'Rose', her eyes filling with tears. She'd figured out what River was telling them rather early, but it still didn't change the fact that she was going to lose her father. He may not have been killed by the Dalek, and that had made her happy, for a little while, but she knew the Pandorica would need a pilot, considering what he had said he was going to do.

'Rose' looked back at the little girl, and at the Doctor, smiling sadly. She done so very well, making sure that there was no questioning the fact that the pair of them were father and daughter. The Doctor had been so alone for so long, even when he had companions in his life.

He deserved one moment of happiness, and she had given it to him.

But she knew he wasn't throwing it away lightly.

He was doing this for everyone, but he was doing it for her most of all.

He was doing it for Amy, and for Rory, so they could continue their lives, get married, and be happy.

But Robyn knew, somewhere deep inside of her, that she would never be happy again.

The light from the TARDIS grew stronger now, becoming brighter, and redder, and the rumbling grew louder and louder. The Doctor had regained consciousness a little more, but he wasn't ready to talk to his companions yet.

However, 'Rose' had taken it upon herself to watch over the Doctor, as he made the final preparations before he launched the Pandorica into the TARDIS. "I kept her safe for you," she said sadly. "On every adventure you had together those past couple of months. That was me, you know. She's our little girl, Doctor, and you've known for quite a while, haven't you?"

The Doctor didn't reply.

"She should hate you," 'Rose' continued. "But she doesn't. She knows that what you're doing is the right thing, and it's the only thing that will save you all." She looked back at Robyn, who was now crying in River's arms. "She loves you, Doctor, and now River's telling her that when she wakes up, she'll never remember you, and that's breaking her heart... and it's breaking mine." She shook her head, fighting back tears herself. "You're going to be the heart of the explosion, and then you'll cease to exist, and all the people whose lives you touched will suddenly have holes in their memories... except for me, since I'm not part of this universe any more."

The Doctor looked at her carefully. "You took a great risk coming here, Rose," he croaked. "The walls of reality were closed. So how did you come through?"

'Rose' smiled at him. "Slipped through a crack," she replied. "But don't worry, it wasn't one of _those_ cracks. Don't know how, but I sensed you needed me."

The Doctor smiled, and nodded. "Can you bring Amy and Robyn to me?" he asked. "I want to talk to them before... before I leave."

"Yes, Doctor."

**OoOoOoOoO**

'Rose' walked towards the group at the other end of the room carefully. She studied the four of them, and her heart broke at the expressions of grief and anguish on their faces. This wasn't how it was supposed to end, but it was the only way it _could_ end.

The only way to save the universe.

She shook her head. Bearer of bad news once again. It always happened this way; if she wasn't heralding doom and gloom, and the end of all things, she was telling someone that they were about to die.

"The Doctor will be the heart of the explosion," she heard River say. "So, all the cracks in time will close, but he'll be on the wrong side, trapped in the Never-Space, the void between the worlds. All memory of him will be purged from the universe. He will never have been born."

It was time. "Amy, Robyn," 'Rose' called. "The Doctor wants to talk to the both of you."

Amy frowned. "What about River?" she asked. "Doesn't the Doctor want to talk to her too?"

River smiled sadly, then shook her head. "He doesn't really know me yet," she replied. "And now he never will."

Nodding reluctantly, Amy took Robyn by the hand, and followed 'Rose' back to the Pandorica. The Doctor was sitting up now, watching them as they approached. Robyn caught his eye, but she quickly looked away. She was so angry, and upset, with him, but she didn't hate him. 'Rose' was right, in that regard. She _couldn't_ hate him, because she loved him, and she was determined to never _stop_ loving him, even when she _didn't_ remember him.

But that was the problem.

The Doctor deserved to be remembered. For every single day that went by, he deserved to be remembered, because she was _his_ daughter, and she would _always_ be _his_ daughter.

Memory be damned.

They climbed up the base of the Pandorica, standing in front of the Doctor. Both were fighting back tears, but Robyn didn't move to wipe them away when a few stragglers slipped down her face. She smiled at her father. "Hey, Dad," she said. "Gave us quite a scare back there." Her smile faded. "I wish you told me what you were going to do. I could've helped you."

"You did help," the Doctor replied, his voice harsh and gravelly - the result of being hit by the Dalek's death ray.

"I know. But if I'd known you were going to drag yourself here, I would've helped you."

The Doctor looked at her sadly. "I know, I should've said something, but..."

Robyn reached out and held his hand. "It's okay, I probably would've just gotten in the way." She looked at the floor. "I've always just gotten in the way."

"No," the Doctor said sharply, his voice cracking from the effort. "Don't you ever think that ever again. You have _never_ just gotten in the way."

Amy nodded. "He's right," she agreed. "You haven't. The Doctor ever takes on the best, right Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled carefully, then nodded. "That's right."

"And, even if he doesn't come back..." Amy shook her head, appalled that she was even suggesting it, then gathered up the courage to continue, "then me and Rory, we'll find you, and we'll adopt you ourselves."

Robyn looked up at her in surprise. "You'd do that?"

Amy nodded. "Of course we would."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," said the Doctor, looking at both of them proudly. He turned his attentions to Amy now, and for some reason, Robyn didn't mind, since it was her chance to say goodbye to the Doctor, and it was the only chance either of them would get. "Amy Pond," he continued. "The girl who waited, all night in her garden. Was it worth it?"

"Shut up. Of course it was," she said emphatically.

"You asked me why I was taking you with me," the Doctor reminded her, "and I said 'No reason'. I was lying."

"It's not important," Amy replied, shaking her head.

"Yeah, it's the most important thing left in the universe. It's why I'm doing this."

Robyn looked at him, her brow furrowing as she tried to understand what he was talking about.

"Amy, your house was too big," he told her. "That _big_, empty house. Just you."

"And Aunt Sharon."

"Where were your mum and dad?" the Doctor asked, reading the expressions on his companion's faces carefully. "Where was everybody who lived in that big house?"

Amy thought long and hard, trying to remember what happened to her parents, and her Aunt Sharon... and found she couldn't. There was no memory of them in her head... or there shouldn't have been... but there was. She remembered that she'd had a mum and dad, and she remembered that she'd had an Aunt Sharon, but she couldn't remember what had happened to them. They _had_ existed, hadn't they? She wouldn't remember them if they hadn't at some point, would she? "I lost my mum and dad," she said aloud, as if trying to reinforce that thought in her head.

"How? What happened to them?" the Doctor prompted. "Where did they go?"

She took the time to think about her parents again, but this time tried to think about what might have happened to them. What was the reason that she lost them? Why did they go away?

But she couldn't remember.

"I... I don't..."

"It's okay, it's okay," the Doctor replied soothingly, sensing her distress. "Don't panic. It's not your fault."

But Amy didn't believe that. "I don't even remember."

"There was a crack in time in the wall of your bedroom, and it's been eating away at your life for a long time now. Amy Pond, all alone, the girl who didn't make sense." He looked at her affectionately. "How could I resist?"

"How could I just forget?" asked Amy, appalled that she would forget her own family so easily.

"Nothing is ever forgotten," the Doctor replied, addressing both girls now. "Not really. But you have to try."

The light from the TARDIS was an even angrier red now, and the rumbling noise was even louder. Robyn looked around in alarm, and she knew the end was drawing ever closer. They didn't have much time left, and she still hadn't managed to tell her father the one thing she'd wanted to since she saw him disappear on Aickman Road.

It had taken that one encounter to make her realise something important, something that she'd known from the moment she first laid eyes on the TARDIS.

She loved him.

She loved her father so much, and she needed to tell him. She just couldn't let him sacrifice himself this way without knowing that much. She bit her lip, trying hard not to cry again, but it just didn't work. Tears slipped down her face, and she didn't care, because she had to grieve now, when she remembered that there was someone to grieve, because she wouldn't have the chance when the universe came back and he didn't exist any more.

"Doctor, it's speeding up!" River cried, distracting them momentarily.

Amy lifted the sonic screwdriver and turned it on, hearing the beautiful whirring noise for the last time, then reached over and put it back in the Doctor's jacket pocket.

"There's going to be a very big bang," he said, as she returned the tool to him. "Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family, and they'll be there."

"How can I remember them if they never existed?"

"Because you're special." The Doctor drew Amy close, touching their foreheads together. "That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back, you can bring them back too. You just remember," he kissed his fingers, then patted them both affectionately, "and they'll be there."

Robyn looked up at Amy and smiled sadly. "Shame you can't do the same for me."

Amy looked at her, then at 'Rose', and then at the Doctor. The shape of Robyn's face was exactly like 'Rose's', but her eyes and her hair, they couldn't have come from any one but the Doctor. All that time, she thought the little girl was just the Doctor's adopted daughter, but somehow, she was more than that. She was so much more, and Amy was sure that the girl herself didn't even realise it.

She glanced back at Rory, remembering the night they met Robyn, the first place they went to after she'd lost him, and remembered how she said that the girl could easily be mistaken for the Doctor's own child because of the similarities between them. She thought it was just a joke back then, but now...

Now she wasn't so sure.

She looked back at the Doctor. "You won't," she said, her heart breaking at the thought of the little girl losing her own father, her only family, when she had the chance to get hers back. She started backing away, pulling Robyn with her, as the Doctor got into position and the sides of the Pandorica started to shift.

"You'll have your family back," the Doctor replied, as the restraints locked into place. "You won't need your imaginary friend any more." He let out a soft chuckle. "Amy Pond, Robyn Lawson, crying over me, eh? Guess what?"

"What?"

"Gotcha."

The Pandorica sealed, with the Doctor still inside, and Robyn's heart lurched. She'd missed her chance, and now he was leaving her, and she didn't want him to go... She burst into tears, River's warning to get back vaguely registering in her ears. She felt 'Rose' pick her up and drag her away, as white light and smoke pooled around the base of the huge box.

Her vision blurred by tears, Robyn watched as the Pandorica broke away from the pedestal it was placed on, the white light becoming brighter, and brighter, until the whole thing shot into the sky, shattering the glass ceiling overhead. She fought against 'Rose', wanting nothing more than to run outside and follow the box as it made it's way through the sky, just so she could see her father one last time.

Finally she managed to work her way free, then ran to the pedestal where the Pandorica was not moments before. Glass crunched underneath the soles of her boots, but she didn't care, looking through the hole in the ceiling while she shouted to the heavens. "I LOVE YOU, DAD!" she cried, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. "I ALWAYS WILL!"

On the other side of the room, River's control device beeped, as it received a message from the other device... the same one that the Doctor had kept with him in the Pandorica. "It's from the Doctor," she said, as Robyn ran back to the rest of the group.

"What does it say?" asked Amy.

"Geronimo."

And then... after what felt like an eternity...

Everything turned white...

And Robyn knew...

He was gone.

Forever.

**OoOoOoOoO**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

As he zoomed toward the TARDIS, the Doctor quickly picked up the control device that he'd kept with him, using it to send a message back to his companions back in the museum.

But he knew Robyn was more than just his companion...

More than just his adopted daughter.

She was his real daughter.

Just as much as Jenny was his real daughter. Jenny may have been a generated anomaly, created from his DNA, but Robyn, she was different. She was an anomaly too, but she wasn't created from DNA alone.

She'd been created from his memories, from _all_ of his memories. From his memories of Rose, of Martha, of Donna, and even from all the memories of the companions he'd had before. Every single one of them had contributed to the creation of that one little girl. Everything they were, she was too...

And Rose had been chosen, out of all of them, to be her mother.

Just because he'd loved her.

The Bad Wolf had done it all, so he wouldn't be alone any more.

Rose, and the Bad Wolf, wanted nothing but the best for him.

So they'd made the best for him.

Robyn Guinevere Lawson.

Who really should've been named Robyn Guinevere _Tyler_.

He'd seen Rose's face in Robyn's from the very beginning, and the note that had been left in her file back at the orphanage had confirmed it. Robyn was adopted, as a baby, by Phillipa and Damian Lawson, the note had read, when they found out that they couldn't have any natural children. Then they chose their close friends, Thomas and Daisy Harper, as her guardians in case anything happened to them. So they lived happily, until Robyn's fifth birthday.

Then Phillipa and Damian died in a car accident, and Thomas and Daisy had to step in and take care of her.

Barely a year after that happened, Thomas and Daisy died when a kitchen fire got out of control, and the house they all lived in, the house that Robyn had lived in with her adoptive parents. Somehow, Robyn had survived, but he guessed that had been 'Rose's' doing, just like she'd told him back at the museum.

'Rose' had kept her safe all that time, so they could meet that night at the orphanage.

But, as usual, he dragged his heels and got there over two years too late.

Just like with Amy.

Now none of it would ever have happened, but she'd still exist, even though neither of her real parents would exist.

The Lawsons, and the Harpers, they'd both still be dead, and Robyn would still think she was an orphan, stuck in an orphanage where no one would believe her.

But he had an idea, something that he hoped would work.

Amy was special.

She just didn't know how special.

The burning TARDIS loomed ever closer, and shrapnel, just the one the Doctor had pulled out of the crack, danced around it. He smiled, knowing the end, and at the same time, the beginning, were so very near, and he willed the Pandorica to speed up, to reach its final destination faster and faster, until...

The two boxes hit one another, exploding into a wide burst of white and yellow light and spreading across the entire universe.

And then everything started going _backwards_...

Moving faster and faster...

Until...

**OoOoOoOoO**

The Doctor opened his eyes, and found that he was in the TARDIS. He smiled with relief. "Oh, okay, I escaped then," he said to himself. "Brilliant. Love it when I do that." He checked to see if he was still one piece. "Legs, yes." He touched his collar, "Bow-tie, cool." Then he patted the top of his head, and feeling nothing he shrugged. "I can buy a fez." He looked around, still surprised by his good fortune... at least he was, until he heard his own voice coming from his right. He stood up and walked around the platform, and looked towards the console, where Amy and Robyn were dressed for a day at the beach.

"Now the beach," he heard his past self tell them. "The beach is the best. Automatic sand."

Then Amy laughed, exactly as he remembered her doing when he told her. "Automatic sand?" she echoed. "What does that mean?"

Robyn giggled, and the Doctor smiled sadly. He was never going to hear that laugh, or that giggle, ever again now.

"It's automated," his past self replied, fiddling with the console. "Cleans up the lolly sticks all by itself."

As his past self continued to ramble in the background, the Doctor tried to figure out what had happened. He wasn't in the Pandorica any more, that much was true, and the universe was coming back, and the cracks... the cracks were closing. "No, hang on, wait, that was last week, when we went to Space Florida, for Robyn's birthday." He frowned, screwing his face up in concentration. "I'm rewinding. My time stream... unravelling. Erasing." He looked behind him, and the crack from Amy's wall was spread across the screen behind him. "Closing," he murmured, as the crack did exactly as he said. "Hello universe. Goodbye, Doctor."

He turned back to the console, and on a whim, decided to call out to the girl wearing the sunglasses. "Amy?"

Amy looked around, peeking over the top of her sunglasses, but no one was there. For a moment she thought she heard the Doctor, but he wasn't behind her, he was in front of her, on the other side of the console.

But Amy wasn't the only one with him that day, the Doctor remembered. He glanced at Robyn, and their eyes met. "Robyn," he said softly. "Don't be scared."

Robyn stared at him, her eyes wide with fright. She glanced back at her Doctor, then back at the Doctor standing in front of the larger screen. "Not again," she breathed, backing towards the console. "No... not again."

The Doctor looked up as his past self approached her, noticing her distress, then gathered her into a hug. "I remember doing that," he muttered. "But now I know what upset her. I did." He shook his head. "She said she'd seen my ghost when we were outside the Pandorica, but she said that happened on Aickman Road, not here... unless she didn't want to remember it happening here... But she can see me..."

But before he could think about what to do next, the Doctor disappeared.

**OoOoOoOoO**

"Now, what's the matter with you, eh?" asked the Doctor, gathering Robyn into a hug. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Robyn returned the hug reluctantly, then pulled back and shook her head. "I'm fine," she replied. "It was nothing."

Amy snorted. "Didn't look like nothing," she said, adjusting her sunglasses. "In fact you don't look too good. You okay?"

"I'm fine," Robyn insisted. "Really. Nothing's wrong. Now are we going to Space Florida or not?" She looked up at her father and grinned. "You said we were going somewhere special for my birthday, and you said we were going on a holiday."

"So I did," the Doctor replied, rocking back and forth on his heels. "I promised both of you a holiday, and I intend to give it to you."

Robyn grinned again, and then glanced back at the big view screen on the wall. She turned to face it, then climbed down the platform and sat down in front of it. "How can you be here in two places at once, Dad," she murmured. "Like when I saw you back at Aickman Road?" She drew her knees underneath her chin. "Is something going to happen to you?" she asked herself, voicing her thoughts aloud. "Are you going to die?"

"Hey, Robyn," Amy called, walking down the ramp and joining her on the floor. "What are you talking about?" She looked around, wondering if there was someone else in the room besides themselves. "Who are you talking to?"

"Just to myself," Robyn replied. "Thinking about what I saw on Aickman Road."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Have you been getting into the horror movies again?" she asked. "Because the Doctor told you they'd give you nightmares, but did you listen to him?"

Robyn giggled. "Of course I didn't, and neither do you, so you can't talk."

"Yeah, you're right about that one," she replied. "Well, when in doubt, blame the TARDIS. That's what I say."

The two girls heard the Doctor make a strangled gasp, as if the TARDIS had just blown something up on the console in reply, and they winced. "Uh, you okay, Doctor?" Amy called.

"Yes, I'm fine," he called back. "But don't go insulting my TARDIS again, all right?"

Robyn covered her hands with her mouth, trying hard to stifle her laughter, but said nothing.

"Yes, Doctor," Amy replied, suppressing the urge to laugh at his misfortune herself. "I'll be more careful next time, if there is a next time." She turned back to Robyn again. "But seriously, though," she continued. "It sounded like you were talking to someone down here. Who was it?"

Robyn frowned. "I thought I saw Dad's ghost again," she said sadly. "Like how I did on Aickman Road."

The smile that had been on Amy's face all that time faded, upon hearing this. "You mean when I thought I heard the Doctor, even though we'd left him back here in the TARDIS?"

Robyn nodded. "Yeah, exactly like that, but..."

"But what?"

"I don't know," Robyn replied, beginning to feel frustrated. "He seemed... confused, or something. Like he didn't know what was going on."

"Since when does he ever know what's going on?" said Amy, rolling her eyes again. "He'd forget his own head if it wasn't already screwed on."

"But that's the thing," Robyn countered. "When I saw him on Aickman Road, he seemed like he knew what was going on, and now, he doesn't. So why doesn't he know?"

Amy shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me."

Robyn stood up, and for a moment, Amy thought there was a very Doctorish look about her stance. "I think he's going backwards, and we're going forwards," she said, adjusting the collar on her shirt. "So while I saw him back at Aickman Road, that hasn't happened yet for the one that I saw just now." She looked down at the older girl with a frown. "Does that make any sense?"

"About as much sense as the Doctor makes sometimes," Amy replied. "Which isn't very often, unfortunately."

"So, I'm just crazy then," said Robyn, folding her arms across her chest. "Thanks a lot, Amy."

Amy regarded the little girl carefully. The look of dismay on the little girl's face was eerily like the one the Doctor would give her when she didn't understand something straight away, and it wasn't something she'd expected to see from anyone but him. "Look," she said. "I'll make it up to you when we get to Space Florida, okay?"

"How?"

"Oh, I don't know, I'll..." She paused, trying to think of a good way to make it up to the little girl. "I'll buy you an ice cream," she finished, flashing her a wide grin.

But Robyn wasn't about to let it go that easily. "You say I don't make sense, and then you try and fob me off with promises of ice cream?" she scoffed. "Not a chance."

"What do you want me to do then?" Amy replied. "Try and convince him," she gestured at the Doctor with her thumb, "to change out of the nutty professor get up, and into a pair of board shorts?"

Robyn looked at her father, trying to picture him in a pair of board shorts. She started to laugh, collapsing on to the floor.

"Oi, I heard that," the Doctor replied indignantly. "And I'll have you know I cut a fine figure in beachwear of all eras."

"So why aren't you in anything like that right now?" Amy countered. "If you 'cut a fine figure', as you say, in beachwear of all eras... why are you still in the nutty professor get up?"

The Doctor looked at her sharply, and said, as if it were the answer to everything, "Bow-ties are cool."

Of course, hearing this, Robyn started to laugh harder, as the image of her father wearing a pair of board shorts and a bow-tie filled her head. She rolled over onto her side, panting. "Geez, Dad, why do you have to make me laugh so much?"

The Doctor grinned at her, but didn't immediately reply, walking towards her purposefully. "So, I make you laugh, do I, Robyn Lawson?" he asked, crouching by his daughter's side. She nodded, a wide smile spreading across her face. "In that case..." He reached out and started to tickle her, and peals of laughter filled the console room once again.

And Robyn forgot about seeing her father's ghost... for now.

**OoOoOoOoO**

As his time stream rewound, the Doctor felt a rush of air, and images from the past flew before his eyes. He knew the next place he'd stop was Aickman Road, and now that he knew Amy could hear him, he'd have to make another attempt to get her attention. As quickly as they started, the images stopped, and he looked around. "Ah, three weeks ago," he murmured, when he saw Robyn pulling Amy over to a cat that was sitting on the brick fence in front of one of the houses. "When they put the card in the window." He knew he'd only have one shot at getting Amy's attention here at least, so he'd have to make it count. "Amy! I need to tell you something!" he called, and sure enough, she looked around, wondering why she could hear him when she remembered leaving him back at the TARDIS.

Of course, Robyn noticed her movements, and turned around, trying to work out what she was trying to look for.

Then she saw him.

His eyes widened. "Robyn..." he murmured. Then he got another idea. "Robyn!" he called. "I need to talk to Amy!"

She looked at him, scared and confused... and showing no sign that she could understand him. "So she can see me, but she can't hear me," he said sadly. "The same as Amy but in reverse."

The Doctor had no idea where the next rewind would take him, but now he knew why Robyn had been so upset when they were waiting for the Pandorica to open. Seeing him now, and on the TARDIS later on, had frightened her to the point that she was scared of losing him.

Now her fears were coming true.

"But Amy can hear me," he said to himself, the gears turning in his head. "And if she can hear me..." A rush of wind came from behind him, and he turned around, and found there was a crack in the middle of the road. It glowed with an eerie white light, and the Doctor knew he didn't have much time left. He glanced back at Amy and Robyn, but neither of them were paying attention. "Well, let's see where the next rewind takes me," he said, as the white light engulfed him completely. New images shot towards him, images of Vincent, and of all the little side trips that he and Amy had taken after Robyn had joined them. Despite the speed as the images went past, the looks of sheer delight and wonder on both girls faces burned into his memory.

He wasn't going to see either of them ever again, and that hurt more than anything he'd ever been through.

And they would never know.

The Doctor was never one for crying, but if he did, then there was usually a reason, sometimes good, sometimes bad, behind it. But it still surprised him when it _did_ happen, and he almost didn't realise that he wasn't rewinding any more when the images stopped passing before his eyes. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes with his thumbs, looking at them strangely when they came back wet. He looked around, wondering where he was, and then he saw the little girl asleep in the very last bed, dark hair spilling over her pillows, and he knew...

It was the orphanage, the night after he started the process to adopt _her_.

Robyn Guinevere Lawson.

Robyn Guinevere _Tyler_.

His little girl.

He moved to her bedside slowly, wanting to savour what little time he had left with her, even though it wouldn't matter any more once he was gone. The similarities between the child, and the girl that he had lost, were more pronounced now as he watched her sleep, and he smiled.

"She's not going to remember you when she wakes up," a voice said softly behind him.

The Doctor didn't even need to turn around to know that it was Rose.

Not 'Rose', not the Bad Wolf...

Just Rose.

Rose Tyler.

The _real_ Rose Tyler

"I know," he replied, turning around to face her. "And _you_ shouldn't be here."

Rose grinned, her tongue poking out between her teeth. "You know me, the impossible Rose Tyler. The stuff of legend."

"Can't argue with that."

Rose walked over beside him, then looked down at their daughter, beaming with pride. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" she said, crouching down and tucking the little girl's hair behind her ear. "Looks just like you."

"She looks like you too, Rose. Your face. Your smile."

"I know," Rose replied, letting out a sob, covering her mouth with her hand. She straightened, and looked at him closely, tears shining on her face. "It was you, wasn't it? On New Year's Day?"

He nodded. "I was already regenerating, but I had to see you, one last time, and that was the only way I could do it."

"Yeah, I guess it would be."

The Doctor sighed. This wasn't going very well. His time stream was unravelling, and now he was hallucinating about old girlfriends. But he liked it, a little, getting to see Rose, and their daughter, all in the one room for the first, and last, time. "I haven't got much time left, Rose," he said, taking her by the hand. "So, what are we doing here?"

"I'm trying to say goodbye... again," Rose replied. "But it's... hard."

"That's true. Goodbye is always hard. Why do you think I try to avoid it so much?"

Rose looked over at Robyn again, then nodded. "I know. It's hard for you too." She smiled sadly. "I mean, I'll have to tell my mum, and your brother, that there's a little girl over here who's supposed to be my daughter with you, except you don't exist any more. They'll love that."

"I can already imagine Jackie's reaction now," the Doctor replied. "She won't be happy she's got a granddaughter she could be doting over and lavishing with gifts and love that she'll never get to meet."

"And your brother, he'd be onto Pete straight away, trying to find a way back so we can take her home with us."

The Doctor smiled. "He would, wouldn't he?"

Rose smiled back at him. "He is you, after all. Well, the old you."

"Still me. Doesn't matter what I look like."

"I know."

They stood there for a few moments, not saying anything. Rose was trying hard to commit to memory every single facet of this new, and yet very much the same, Doctor. When she went back and his time stream continued to unravel, she wanted to be able to remember this new man, with the hope that one day, she'd find a way back to their daughter and be able to tell her all about the man who gave up everything so she could have a future. She leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips, then started to back away, but she stopped when he closed his hand around her wrist and pulled her back.

"What are you doing?" she asked in surprise.

"Something I should've done a long time ago, Rose Tyler."

Then he kissed her.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Rose broke the kiss first, despite how much she regretted it. They couldn't waste any more time with each other now. The Doctor's time stream was about to unravel again, and there was something he really needed to do. Pulling away from him, she walked over to the other side of Robyn's bed, then picked up a pad of paper and a pen, and handed them to the Doctor.

"What's this for?" he asked, staring at the pad of paper as if it could come to life at any moment.

"Robyn keeps this beside her bed so she can write down her dreams when she wakes up. So far she's had nothing to write about, but you can change that... and tell her something she's been longing to hear for years."

The Doctor nodded, remembering that he never did find out how the Dream Lord got into her head in the first place. "I'll have to leave an imprint of... him... behind," he said. "It's the only way he could've got there."

"Yeah. But there's something else," Rose continued. "Something important, and you have to do it. This isn't something you can just leave alone."

"Why?"

"Because she needs to hear it, or read it, at least. She hasn't had anyone for a long time, and now she'll have no one, so we might as well do this one thing for her, yeah?"

The Doctor frowned. "What thing?"

Rose leaned over, and whispered something in his ear, and in an instant, the Doctor understood. He looked down at the paper, and tried to think about the best way to write what Rose had told him to write. It wasn't something he could take lightly, not when it would make a difference to the rest of his daughter's life. It didn't seem right that he write this note, not on his own, and he looked at Rose sharply.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I shouldn't do this," he replied. "Not alone. You have to write something too."

Rose smiled. "Of course I will," she said. "She's my little girl too, and she deserves to know that."

The Doctor grinned, then looked down at the paper again. He wrote just three words, and then signed it 'Theta Sigma', and then added, in brackets, 'your Dad'.

He handed the pad of paper, and the pen back to Rose, and she read what he had written. "That's perfect," she said, smiling brightly. "That's exactly what I thought you'd write."

"It's not too simple?"

Rose shook her head. "No, this is perfect." She smiled sadly. "Simple, but perfect."

"Like her mother?"

Rose smiled. "That's a new one," she replied. "Never been called simple before. Though I do recall being called an 'ape' once."

"That was one time, and I was a different man then." He let out a low chuckle when she raised her eyebrows at him. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do, but it still doesn't change the fact that you called me an 'ape'."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "No, it doesn't, does it?"

"Bit late to take it back now, isn't it?" Rose asked ruefully.

"Yeah, guess it is."

Rose sighed. "Anyway, you should put that on her bedside table, so it's the first thing she sees when she wakes up. She won't understand how it got there. She could even think one of the other girls put it there as a joke... but she'll keep it with her, and not give up hope that it's real."

The Doctor nodded. "Sounds like something she'd do."

"You need to leave an imprint of the Dream Lord now," Rose continued. "And the memory of the Menolissian Wolverine, so when you show up in a few months..."

"I'll create an adventure for myself just so Amy and I don't just get back in the TARDIS and leave her behind."

"That's right."

The Doctor looked down at the little girl, placing his hands on her face, and then closed his eyes. "I'm going to cause her... have caused her... won't cause her... so much heartbreak..." he said, concentrating on leaving the imprint of the Dream Lord in Robyn's mind.

"You warned her that would happen, and she got through it. She's a tough one, our little Robyn."

"And that's supposed to make it all better?" the Doctor replied, glancing at the pad of paper in Rose's hands. "Just three small words, and my nickname signed at the bottom?"

Rose smiled. "Those three small words can make a lot of difference to a person's life," she said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "They made a difference to mine, regardless of who was saying them. We're getting married, you know, me and your 'brother'. Although, part of me wishes I still had you - the completely Time Lord you, not the half Doctor, half Donna you, I mean. But I know you did the right thing on Bad Wolf Bay, and I don't hate you for it."

"I half expected you to hate me," the Doctor murmured. "You fought so hard to come back to me, and then having me leave you back in the parallel world with a half human clone of me... I thought you'd be angry."

"I was, at first," Rose admitted. "But as we got to know each other again, me and your 'brother', I stopped being angry, and realised that it was the only way we could be together. If I stayed with you, you'd have to watch me grow old, and then you'd watch me die, probably of old age, and I understood what you meant, back at the cafe, when we were helping Sarah Jane at that school. I would wither, and you wouldn't."

"And I wouldn't get over the pain of watching you grow older, while I remained the same."

Rose nodded. "I was... selfish," she murmured, patting his shoulder lightly. "I know that now." She quickly scribbled something on the pad of paper, underneath where the Doctor had signed it, then handed it back to him. "You better put this back," she said. "You're about to rewind again, and..." Tears appeared in the corners of Rose's eyes. "I'm about to go back, so..."

The Doctor placed the pen, and the pad of paper on Robyn's bedside table, then gathered Rose into a hug. "It's okay," he said gently. "I'm saving the universe again, just like I always do." He kissed her softly, then pulled away. "Goodbye, Rose Tyler."

And then the world went mad.

**OoOoOoOoO**

When the world stopped going mad, the Doctor realised he was crouched behind a tree, in a forest. There was no sign of Robyn, nor did he expect to see her at all from this point on, because this was before he found her. There was only one place he could be now, because he'd slipped right past the whole business with the Vampires and the Silurians.

Now he was back at the Byzantium, when Amy had the Weeping Angel in her head.

He'd lost his first jacket to the Angels, he remembered, and the one he wore now was just a copy the TARDIS had dredged up from the wardrobe. He'd liked that jacket.

As much as Amy complained about it, he knew she'd liked it too.

But now that he knew Amy could hear him, he thought he'd have a chance to work out a way to stop himself from disappearing forever.

Thinking back to their adventure on the Byzantium, with River, he remembered that he had to leave Amy behind, with her eyes closed, so the Angel didn't kill her. Maybe he could talk to her now, when all those other times she'd dismissed what she was hearing as her imagination.

"Good luck everyone," he heard his past self say, addressing the Clerics who guarded his companion. "Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes." He watched himself wave his hand at Amy dismissively. "Amy, later! River, going to need your computer."

His past self started to run off, and the Doctor ceased his chance, approaching Amy carefully. He knelt in front of her, resting his hands on her own. "Amy," he murmured. "You have to start trusting me. It's never been more important."

Amy frowned, but kept her eyes shut. "But you don't always tell me the truth."

The Doctor smiled. "If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me," he replied.

"Doctor," Amy whispered. "The crack in my wall, how can it be here?"

The Doctor looked back at his past self, who was fiddling with the sonic screwdriver, deep in thought. "I don't know yet, but I'm working it out." He heard the crackling of leaves and twigs, and he knew his past self was gone. "Now listen," he went on. "Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

"What did you tell me?" Amy replied.

The Doctor's heart sank. "No," he breathed, touching their foreheads together. "No. That's not the point. You have to remember." He patted her affectionately, then kissed her forehead.

And then he disappeared, leaving Amy alone once more.

**OoOoOoOoO**

After what seemed like an eternity, the Doctor's world came crashing to a halt. He looked around and checked his watch, taking in the blue walls around him. "Amelia's house," he murmured. "The night she waited." He looked into her bedroom, and finding no sign of the little girl, he went back into the hallway and looked out the window.

There, in the garden, was the little girl, fast asleep on top of her suitcase.

He turned and walked through the house, until he stood before the sleeping child. "The girl who waited," he said, smiling a sad little smile. "Come here, you." He carefully scooped her up into his arms, leaving the suitcase behind, and took her back into the house.

Amelia Pond's far too big, far too empty, house.

The house they first met.

And the house where he would step into the final crack.

The house where he would no longer exist.

Navigating the staircase was a difficult task with a little girl in his arms, but somehow the Doctor managed it, and he soon had Amelia safely back in her bed. He tucked her, with the carefully practised technique only known to those who were parents, or wanted to become parents, then sat down in a chair that was placed by her bedside.

"It's funny," he said, more to himself, than to Amelia. "I thought if you could hear me, then I could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor." He leaned in close, and smiled. "When you wake up," he told the sleeping girl. "You'll have a mum and dad..." His smile faded. "And you won't even remember me. Well, you'll remember me a little," he corrected. "I'll be a story in your head. But that's okay. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? Cause it was, you know. It was the best." He leaned back in his seat, as the words became even more difficult to say. "A daft old man, who stole a magic box, and ran away." He frowned. "Did I ever tell you that I stole it?" he asked her, even though he thought she couldn't hear him. "Well, I borrowed it, I was always going to take it back."

He thought about the TARDIS, knowing that she would cease to exist just as much he would. "Oh, that box," he said sadly. "Amy. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big, and little, at the same time. Brand new, and ancient, and the... bluest... of blue ever." He swallowed, as tears came to his eyes once more. "And the times we had, eh? Would've had... Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there." He smiled sadly. "The Doctor, and Amy Pond... And the days that never came."

A bright light appeared in the corner of the Doctor's eye, and he looked at the crack in the wall. "The cracks are closing," he said. "But they can't close properly until I'm on the other side. I don't belong here any more." He sniffed, as the tears threatened to fall. "I think I'll skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats."

He stood from the chair, leaning close to Amelia's bedside once more. "Live well. Love Rory," he told her, kissing her forehead. "Bye, bye, Pond."

The Doctor turned to face the crack, white light dancing over him as it opened wide. He smiled sadly, accepting his fate, and hoping the note he left Robyn would be enough to keep her smiling, even though she'd never know the one who wrote it for her.

With a heavy heart, he stepped into the crack.

And he was gone.

But as he did, the little girl, who he thought had been asleep, woke up from the noise made by the crack closing. She looked around, wondering if someone had been speaking to her, but finding no one, she nestled back down to sleep.

**OoOoOoOoO**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

The next morning, fourteen years later, a little girl, and a not so little girl, both awoke to the sound of birds at their windows.

Amy Pond, the not so little girl, looked over at the dress which hung on the back of her wardrobe door, and smiled. It was her wedding day, and she was going to be married to the daftest boy in the village, Rory Williams. But she didn't care that he was daft, because he was good, and he was kind, and she loved him with all her heart.

On the other hand, Robyn Lawson, the little girl, looked around the communal bedroom she slept in at the orphanage with sadness. For her it was just another day of being picked on, and ridiculed for who knows what, when all she wanted was a family.

Amy was about to get out of bed, when she suddenly heard footsteps, and a woman's voice, coming from the hallway. She gasped, jumping in surprise as a woman in a pink dressing gown, came storming into her room, bearing a tray of food. She stared at the woman, then realised who she was. "You're my mum," she murmured. "Oh my god, you're my mum."

Tabetha Pond looked at her daughter strangely. "Of course I'm your mum," she replied, with a frown. "What's the matter with you?" She showed Amy the tray. "And this is your breakfast," she went on, without stopping for breath. "Which your father made, so feel free to tip it out of the window if it's an atrocity." She put the tray down. "Downstairs? Ten minutes? Big day!"

Amy looked away, completely bewildered by what had just happened. "Of course she's my mum," she said to herself. "Why is that so surprising?"

She quickly got out of bed, and went downstairs and then opened the door to the living room carefully, poking her head through the doorway.

Her father looked up from his speech and smiled at her. "Ah, Amelia," he said as she entered the room. "I fear I may be using the same joke book as the best man."

Amy laughed. "You're my tiny little dad!" she cried, throwing herself at him and hugging him tightly.

"Amelia, why are you behaving as if you've never seen us before?" asked Tabetha, entering the room, and helping her husband put on his tie.

"I don't know," Amy replied, not even attempting to mask her glee at seeing the both of them together. "It's just..." She paused, as a thought crossed her mind. "I think I have to call Rory," she said, turning and running from the room. She went back upstairs and grabbed her phone off of her bedside table, then quickly found Rory's name and pushed the button to send the call.

"Hello!" Rory greeted, when he finally answered. His voice sounded muffled, but Amy heard the scraping of a toothbrush as he spoke to her.

"Do you feel like you've forgotten something important?" she asked, but didn't wait for him to answer before adding, "Do you feel like there's a great big thing in your head, and you feel like you should remember it, but you can't?"

There was a moment of silence... then, "Yep," Rory replied unconvincingly.

"Are you just saying yes because you're scared of me?"

"Yep."

"I love you."

"Uh, yep," Rory replied, then hastily corrected himself. "I love you too."

Hanging up on him, Amy turned and looked at her wedding dress again. She smiled.

This was going to be the best day ever.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Robyn hadn't been awake very long, when she noticed someone standing at the foot of her bed. A woman, all dressed in black, smiled down at her, and she couldn't help but feel a strange twinge in the back of her mind.

"Hello sweetie," the woman in black greeted.

"Hello..." Robyn replied hesitantly, unsure about what she should do, or say, next.

The woman in black smiled again. "It's all right, sweetie, it'll come back to you soon enough." She held up a pretty dress, a pair of stockings, and a pair of shiny black shoes that Robyn could see her face in if she looked closely enough. "You have to get ready," the woman in black continued. "So I can take you with me."

Robyn frowned, eyeing the woman in black suspiciously. "Take me where?" she asked.

"We're going to a wedding," the woman in black replied.

"But I can't go," said Robyn, looking at the dress longingly. "I'm not allowed to go out, not with strangers."

The woman in black smiled knowingly. "It's all been arranged," she said. "Miss Faversham knows I'm here, and she knows that you'll be safe." She held out the dress, and the pair of stockings, and the shoes. "So, coming?"

"I... I don't know..."

"Go on, it's all right. You won't get into trouble."

Robyn frowned. "I'm not so sure about that," she said. "I don't even know you, but..."

"But what?" the woman in black asked, sitting on the bed. "Are you scared?"

"No," Robyn said sharply. "Just... cautious." She looked at the dress again, and the little diamantes sewn on the edges sparkled in the sunlight. She blinked, the image of a diamond ring flashing across her memory for a moment, disappearing just as quickly as it came. "Well, that was weird," she said quietly.

"What is?"

Robyn shook her head. "Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "It was nothing." She stood from the bed, then took the dress from the woman in black and held it against herself. She smiled, realising the green of the fabric matched her eyes. "You're sure it's okay with Miss Faversham?" she asked, looking at the woman hopefully. "I'm not going to get into trouble, am I?"

The woman in black shook her head. "No, you won't get into trouble," she assured the little girl. "Not unless that's what you want?"

"No!" Robyn quickly exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. "No... well... yes... maybe..." She shook her head. "Oh, I don't know."

The woman in black laughed. "I'll give you a moment to think about it, sweetie," she said, standing up, leaving the stockings and the shoes on Robyn's bed. "And if you decide to come with me, I'll expect to see you in ten minutes."

Robyn nodded, then watched as the woman walked away. There was something oddly familiar about her, but she couldn't quite place where she'd seen her before. It was the weirdest thing, but then again, she'd always been considered weird by the other girls, so she didn't think anything of it. She went to her bedside table, and opened the drawer, taking out a worn piece of paper. The writing on it was faint, but it was still legible, despite all the time she'd held onto it. She could never understand why someone would write her such a note, and sign it 'Theta Sigma' and 'The Bad Wolf', but she never questioned it, even when she was made fun of because of it.

She replaced the note in the drawer, but kept it open, intending to come back for it once she was dressed. Gathering up the dress, the stockings, and the shoes, she ran through the doorway to the bathroom. She washed quickly, then brushed her teeth and then her hair, pausing only when she realised she didn't know the woman in black at all.

Not really.

It only felt like she knew her, for some odd reason that she couldn't name.

"What am I doing?" she muttered. "I'm not allowed to go out, not after the last time I ran away." She shook her head. "Why would someone just show up, out of the blue, and want to take me to a wedding, for people I don't know?"

She turned, and looked at the dress again. The diamantes sparkled again, and this time a new image flashed across her mind. She saw a glass sculpture, for lack of a better word, rising up and down, and glittering as the light bounced off it. She didn't know what it was, but it felt so familiar. "I must be going nuts," she murmured, as an odd thought struck her. "But I think the woman in black is trying to help me."

She quickly got dressed, and, she found to her delight, that everything, including the shoes, fit perfectly. Nothing felt tight, and nothing pinched, she could move freely without anything ripping or tearing. She looked up into the mirror, and wondered how to do her hair; whether to leave it lose, or tie it back.

"You look beautiful," a voice came from the doorway.

The woman in black had returned.

Robyn looked at her and blushed, even though she couldn't figure out why. "Thank you."

The woman in black reached into her coat, and pulled out a ribbon, one that was the same colour as the dress Robyn now wore. "Here," she said, walking into the room and picking up a hairbrush from the vanity. "I'll do your hair."

Robyn nodded, then turned around, and let the woman in black draw the brush threw her long dark hair, and when she was finished, found that it had been layered so that half was left loose, and the other half had been tied into a long braid. "Wow," she murmured, when she noticed how good she looked. "Just... wow."

The hairstyle was simple, yet elegant, for its intended purpose, and Robyn suddenly couldn't help but feel excited about this wedding that the woman in black said they were going to. She may not have known who were getting married, but she didn't care.

She looked beautiful.

For once in her life.

No one would dare make fun of her now, would they?

She shook her head. No, no one was going to make fun of her, not now, not ever.

The woman in black gently patted her on the shoulder. "It's time to go, sweetie," she said, handing Robyn her bag, which had been packed with all the things she ever owned.

Robyn looked at her bag, then at the woman, in confusion. "Aren't I coming back?" she asked. "I thought we were just going to a wedding?"

"We are," the woman in black replied. "But you won't be coming back here afterwards."

Robyn frowned. "Why?"

The woman in black smirked. "Spoilers."

Robyn's eyes widened, as another image flashed across her mind. But before she could work out what it was about, the image vanished, and a sense of loss washed over her. She felt the woman kneel down and hug her tightly, but that didn't help at all.

"Are you all right, sweetie?" the woman asked.

"I'm... fine," Robyn replied, feeling a little bit shaken. "Yeah... I'm fine."

The woman in black looked at her in concern, but nodded. "Then we should be on our way," she said. "We don't want to be late."

"I have to get something," Robyn said suddenly, running back to her bedside table. She reached into the drawer, and took out the tattered note, then folded it carefully and put it in the pocket of her coat as she put it on. "Now I'm ready."

The woman in black smiled, then took her by the hand. "Good."

And so, together, the woman in black, and the little girl all dressed in green, left the orphanage.

Forever.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Robyn and the woman in black arrived in Leadworth just in time for the ceremony to begin, and except for a little problem with their invitation (they didn't have one), they soon made themselves comfortable at the back of the village church.

A moment later, the bridal march began to play, and everyone, including Robyn and the woman in black, stood as the bride, a beautiful young woman will shoulder length ginger hair, was escorted down the aisle by her father, a rather short, rotund, man who looked rather nervous. More nervous, in fact, than his daughter, who seemed to only have eyes for her groom at the other end of the aisle.

Robyn blinked, getting the strange feeling that she knew the bride, and her groom, but she could've sworn she'd never met them before. She looked up at the woman in black, opening her mouth to ask her a question, then stopped, realising it would be rude to talk during the ceremony.

On the other hand, Amy had seen the little girl, and looked at her in shock. She too, had the strange feeling that she'd seen that little girl somewhere before. But she quickly shook her head, dismissing it as just a case of mistaken identity. She looked away, and back at Rory, and the ceremony continued without any incidents.

The ceremony itself was beautiful, Robyn realised as she watched carefully, if a little slow moving. She wasn't used to just sitting around all the time, for some reason. She never had, not even when she was back at the orphanage. She needed excitement, and adventure, and when there wasn't any, she created it for herself. The only drawback was when the other girls made fun of her, not that she could ever work out why they made fun of her, or wanted to make fun of her. She just seemed to be the acceptable target, and when they wanted to, they went for her.

Soon, the ceremony was over, and Robyn and the woman in black were the first to leave. Robyn didn't understand why the woman in black wanted to leave so quickly, but she didn't question it, following her quietly. They had only gone a short distance away, when the woman in black turned to face the little girl, then crouched down so they looked each other in the eye. The woman in black pulled something from her coat, a small blue book, and gave it to Robyn.

"This is a present for the bride and groom," she said. "I want you to give it to them."

Robyn took the blue box gingerly, looking at it carefully. There was something oddly familiar about the book, but she couldn't quite place where it came from. "Why do I have to give it to them?" she asked. "Aren't you coming to the reception with me?"

The woman in black shook her head. "I... I can't," she said hesitantly. "I have something else I need to do, and I have to do it alone."

"Why?"

"Because..." the woman in black began to say, and then stopped. She smiled sadly. "No reason."

Robyn nodded, accepting this without question, or at least giving the appearance of accepting it without question. She let the woman take her to the village hall, and then carefully seeded herself amongst the rest of the children that were in attendance. One more little girl wouldn't be out of place among lots of other children, she reasoned, but she knew she also had to talk to the bride and groom, to give them the book, which was meant to be their 'wedding present' as the woman in black had told her.

She was looking around when she felt someone tap on her shoulder. She turned and looked up, and saw the groom, Rory, she remembered him being called, standing behind her, resplendent in his wedding finery. "Um, hello," she said nervously.

Rory smiled at her. "Hello," he returned. "Are you lost?"

"Lost?" Robyn echoed.

"Yes, are you lost, like you've lost your parents or something?" He looked around. "Are they looking for you?"

Robyn looked at the floor. She didn't have parents, but it wasn't Rory's fault that he didn't know that. She didn't even know why she was there, at a wedding for people she didn't even know... or felt like she should've known, but didn't. She held out the book. "This is a wedding present, for you, and your wife," she said. "From a friend. She asked me to give it to you."

Rory took the book from the little girl, and flipped through it. "It's blank," he said quietly.

"Maybe it's a diary," Robyn offered. "Something you and your wife can write in about all the things that will happen to you."

Rory smiled. "Maybe." He paused, as a thought struck him. "Would you like to sit with us?" he asked. "Until your parents find you?"

Robyn looked up at him in surprise. "You'd do that?" she replied. "Why?"

Rory's smile faded. "I don't know," he said. "It sounded like the right thing to say."

And it did sound like the right thing to say, Robyn realised, and it seemed like the right thing to do, on her part, to go with him, and sit with him and his bride.

The ginger haired girl that felt so familiar.

"Yes, I'll come," she murmured, carefully slipping her hand into his own. "I'm Robyn, by the way."

"Rory," he returned, holding her hand tightly and leading her to the bridal party's table. "Rory Williams."

By the time they sat down together, the reception was in full swing. The wine and champagne were flowing, and the food was brought out, and everyone generally had a good time. It was almost time for the speeches next, and Amy's father hadn't finished writing his.

But Rory watched the little girl who had given him the book. She sat at the end of the table, beside Amy's Aunt Sharon, who was talking to the little girl animatedly, as if it were her job to keep the child entertained. Except she barely looked like she was listening, instead being strangely quiet and sad. She didn't react when the announcement was made for the best man to make his speech, nor did she make any movements when the best man spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the best man began. "Ladies and gentlemen, the father of the bride, Augustus Pond!" he announced, and Robyn looked up and smiled, amused by the name more than anything else, as the rest of the congregation cheered, and tapped their wine glasses with utensils.

Augustus stood. "Sorry everyone," he said smiling sheepishly. "I'll be another two minutes. Just reviewing certain aspects."

Tabetha sighed. "Your father will be the death of me, Amelia," she said, leaning over to speak to her daughter. "Unless I strike pre-emptively."

Amy laughed, then looked out the window... and saw a woman all dressed in black walk past. Their eyes met, and Amy immediately got the feeling that someone had walked over her grave. She stood suddenly, trying to get a better look at the woman, but it was too late.

The woman was gone.

This was enough to distract Rory, and he took his attention off Robyn. "Amy, you okay?" he asked his newly wedded wife.

She looked down at him, clearly spooked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm... " she murmured, sitting down again, "fine."

"You're crying," Rory observed, as tears began to slip down Amy's face.

Amy felt her face, and her fingers came back wet. "So I am," she replied. "Why am I doing that?"

"Because you're happy, probably," said Rory, trying to think of a good reason why she'd be in tears. "Happy Mrs Rory, happy, happy, happy."

Amy shook her head. "No, I'm sad. I'm really, really sad."

Rory looked at her in confusion. "Great."

"Why am I sad?" she asked, her distress growing.

But before Rory could reply, Amy noticed the blue book.

**OoOoOoOoO**

There was nothing remarkable about the book, just that it was old, and it was blue, with a strange pattern on the cover. But for reasons she couldn't explain, Amy was drawn to the book, because it was familiar, and she didn't know why.

"What's that?" she asked, reaching for it. She ran her hand over the cover, getting a feel for its surface.

"Oh, err, that little girl, Robyn, she said it was a present from a friend of hers."

"What is it?" Amy asked again, flipping through the book, only to find it was empty. There was nothing written on the pages, but something in the back of her mind was telling her - no - screaming at her that it should be full of writing.

"It's a book," Rory said in annoyance, as if that would be enough to placate her.

"It's blank," Amy argued.

Rory frowned. "It's a present."

But Amy wasn't prepared to accept this, not yet. "But why?"

"Well, you know the old saying," he suggested. "The old... wedding... thing."

Robyn watched the couple argue, and she couldn't understand why they were making such a fuss about a book. But something in the back of her mind was telling her that the book was important, even though she didn't know why, just that it was. It was a pretty blue, she knew that much, and something about the colour felt comforting, but... She shook her head, clearing away the thought as quickly as it came.

Amy stared at the book, as clouds began to clear from her mind, and something began to force its way to the surface. She barely registered her father stand up and begin his speech as she looked around the room. At one table, there was a young man in a suit, a red bow-tie adorning his collar. The image of another young man, and yet so ancient at the same time, crossed her mind. He also wore a red bow-tie, she remembered, even though she couldn't understand why she remembered. Then she looked over at another table, where an older man sat talking and laughing, and she saw a flash of a pair of braces when the man pulled back his jacket.

Another image crossed her mind, and she saw the same man from before, but much clearer this time. He was still wearing the bow-tie, but he also wore a matching pair of braces. But they weren't the only things he wore, she remembered. There was a tweed coat as well, and trousers that he kept rolling the legs up, and a pair of dusty boots that were always in dire need of a good cleaning.

She knew who this ancient, yet youthful, man was, and she remembered that he was so important, so wonderful, and so very, very real.

And now she knew how to bring him home.

A single tear slipped down her face, and fell onto the cover of the blank book...

**OoOoOoOoO**

"... at the age of six and announced that the new head teacher wasn't real because she looked like a cartoon -"

"Shut up, Dad," said Amy leaping to her feet. Everyone in the room looked at her strangely, but she pressed on, despite their concerns. "Sorry, but shut up, please." She swallowed, her emotions getting the better of her, and she knew she needed to pull herself together. "There's someone missing," she said, looking at Robyn intently. "Someone important. Someone so, so, important."

Robyn gulped, because for some reason, she was beginning to understand what the older girl was talking about.

"Amy, what's wrong?" asked Rory, looking up at his wife in concern.

"Sorry," Amy repeated, taking a moment to clear her throat. "Sorry, everyone," she said, addressing the congregation. "But when I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend."

Tabetha rolled her eyes in exasperation, unable to believe her daughter had brought up that part of her life on her wedding day. "Oh no, not this again."

"The raggedy Doctor," said Amy, continuing to tell the story. "My raggedy Doctor. But he wasn't imaginary... he was real."

"The psychiatrists we sent her to," said Tabetha, trying to explain away Amy's behaviour, rather unsuccessfully.

Amused whispers spread throughout the hall as Amy spoke, but Robyn was focused on her, and nothing else. She knew, somehow, she knew what the older girl was talking about. Someone was missing, and she could feel it inside.

"I remember you!" Amy cried, talking to the air now, as if something was meant to appear in front of her at her command. "I remember! I brought the others back, and I can bring you home too!" She became angry now, because her cries weren't working, or it looked like they weren't, because the one she was calling to just wouldn't show up. "Raggedy man, I remember you, and you are late for my wedding!" she yelled, pounding on the table with her fist.

At first, nothing happened, even though Amy expected it to, and the room remained quiet and still...

But then, the water in the glass in front of Robyn began to vibrate, as the glass began to shake. Then the chandelier started to shake as well, and the balloons were blown about as a great wind picked up...

And the sound of eternity filled the air.

"I found you," Amy said triumphantly, raising her voice over the din. "I found you in words, just like you knew I would. That's why you told me the story... the brand new, ancient blue box!" She grinned. "Oh clever, _very_ clever."

"Amy, what is it?" Rory asked, as bewildered as the rest of the congregation.

The wind grew stronger and stronger now, and the noise grew louder and louder, and Amy couldn't help but smile as everyone else looked around in alarm. "Something _old_..." she told him, her voice as light as a whisper. "Something _new_... something _borrowed_..." She paused, and a big blue box, exactly as she had described, pulsated into existence. "Something _blue_."

Robyn watched the spectacle in alarm, but at the same time, images came flooding into her mind, and she gasped as they told a story, one that was only for her eyes to see. But they all told her the same thing...

She had a father.

And now, thanks to Amy Pond, the best friend she'd ever had... he was coming _home_.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Rory looked at the police box in disbelief. "It's the Doctor," he murmured. Then he frowned. "How did we forget the Doctor?" he asked incredulously, as Amy climbed over the top of the table. "I was plastic," he said turning to Tabetha. "He was the stripper at my stag. Long story."

Robyn was by Amy's side in an instant. "I remember, Amy, I remember him!" she cried happily. "And now I remember you too!"

Amy gathered the little girl into her arms. "I remember you too, kid," she said, hugging the girl tightly. "Now, let's get your Dad." She let go of Robyn and ran towards the TARDIS and knocked on the door. "Okay, Doctor," she called. "Did I surprise you this time?"

The door opened, and the Doctor poked his head out. He was dressed to the nines, top hat, tails - the whole works. "Err, yeah," he replied, not looking surprised at all. "Completely astonished. Never expected that. How... lucky... I happened to be wearing this old thing." He whirled around, regarding the entire hall with a wide grin. "Hello, everyone," he greeted. "I'm Amelia's imaginary friend!" He walked to the bridal table, and shook Augustus' hand. "But I came anyway."

Robyn laughed, tears of joy streaming down her face, as everyone in the room started talking in amazement at the sight of her father. That morning she'd been an orphan, or so she believed, but now, she had her father back, and it felt so, so, good just to see him again.

Of course, Amy seemed to feel this way too. "You may absolutely, definitely, kiss the bride," she said, approaching the Doctor with her lips puckered in anticipation.

But the Doctor raised a finger to her lips. "Amelia! From now on I shall be leaving the... kissing duties to the brand new Mr. Pond!" he declared, shaking Rory's hand in congratulations.

Rory grinned, pleased by this, at least until he realised what the Doctor had said. "No, I'm not Mr. Pond," he corrected. "That's not how it works."

"Yeah, it is," the Doctor insisted.

Rory looked at Amy, then grinned again. "Yeah, it is."

The Doctor looked around. "Right then, everyone," he said, turning on the spot as he addressed the congregation. "I'll move my box. You're going to need the space."

Amy coughed, then took Robyn by the hand. "Aren't you forgetting something, Doctor?" she asked, looking at him pointedly. "Or rather, _someone?_" She pulled Robyn in front of her. "Because there's a little girl right here who didn't even know she was missing someone until I brought you back."

The Doctor turned and looked at the two girls carefully, a sly smile playing on his face. He held out his hand to the little girl. "Come here, you," he said gently. "I'm going to need a bit of help with the old girl."

Robyn took his hand, and she smiled at the familiar cool sensation of his skin against her own, and allowed him to lead her inside the big blue box. She grinned when he stopped in the doorway, once she was safely inside, telling everyone he was only there for the dancing. She closed her eyes, as more tears of happiness fell down her cheeks, then pulled out the note from her pocket and kissed it. "I knew there was something important about you," she murmured, talking to the tattered scrap of paper, a wide smile forming on her lips. "And now I know why."

**OoOoOoOoO**

The Doctor strode past his daughter purposefully, then quickly sent the pair of them into the vortex. The trip to Amy's house was short and swift, exactly as he planned it, for there was still a wedding reception to attend, and he wasn't going to miss it for the world.

Not now that he was back in the world.

Now that he was back in the world, however, he had to set something right. Something that he should've done as soon as he knew it himself.

He had to tell Robyn he was really her father.

Not just adopted, but her actual father.

And that was a big step he was hesitant to take, despite how good it felt to see her again. It had been a long time since he'd been a father, not counting the time he'd spent with Robyn before the reboot, since it both had, and had not, happened. He sighed, then turned to face the little girl... who was kissing a tattered piece of paper, and tears streaming down her face.

He smiled. "So, that still happened," he murmured to himself, leaning against the console. "You clever girl, Rose Tyler. Very clever." He straightened, then walked towards the girl slowly. The green dress she wore matched her eyes, and it suited her very well. There was no doubt in his mind that River had been the one to choose it, and that she had been the one to bring the child to the wedding so she was in the right place, at the right time, for when Amy remembered him. Whoever River Song was, she obviously cared enough for his daughter to want them reunited.

The Doctor crouched in front of Robyn, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Hello, you," he greeted softly.

Robyn looked back at him, her eyes still wet with tears, but a smile, as bright as his, graced her face as well. "Hello... Dad," she returned.

Without another word, the little girl threw her arms around the Doctor's neck, hugging him so tightly that his respiratory bypass almost kicked in. But he didn't mind, returning the hug with the same vigour.

It had been a very close call, and they knew it now. It had been so close that it looked like that the Doctor would never have been able to come back without River's intervention.

"I missed you, Dad," Robyn said quietly, as she pulled away from him. "Even though you didn't exist, I missed you," she patted her chest, over her heart, "in here. I just didn't know why I missed you, because I couldn't remember you." She showed him the note. "You wrote this, didn't you?"

The Doctor looked at the note carefully. "It certainly looks like my handwriting, doesn't it?" he replied, a cheeky grin playing on his lips.

"But you did write it, didn't you?" Robyn repeated, desperate to know the answer. She wasn't about to let go of the issue now, not when she had the evidence in her hand, and the perpetrator staring at her right in the face. "Didn't you, Dad?"

He nodded. "Yes, I wrote it," he admitted. "I thought I wasn't going to see you again, so..."

"Is Rose really my mum?"

The Doctor frowned. "Now, that one's a little bit more complicated," he began. "And a very long story - "

"Is she really my mum?" Robyn repeated, interrupting him. She looked into his eyes, searching for answers that were there, but weren't ready to be revealed. "Is she, Dad?"

"Yes," he said simply. "Rose Tyler is your mum. Your real mum." He sighed, knowing that this was his chance to tell her the truth. "And I'm your dad. Your real dad."

Robyn nodded. "I know." She curled a strand of her hair with her fingers, and put the note back in her pocket. "Why else would we look alike, unless we weren't related somehow." She smiled. "I'm eight years old, Dad, not stupid, or blind."

The Doctor laughed. "You're right about that," he said, gathering his daughter into another hug. "You're definitely right about that."

The pair of them continued to hug, neither of them saying a word, savouring the fact that they were together again. But the fact remained that the TARDIS had been drawn to the day of Amy and Rory's wedding, and whatever had planned it that way was still out there. He couldn't get complacent, and he couldn't just drop everything yet, not when all of time and space was still under threat.

He let go of Robyn, and stood abruptly. "Now, I believe Amy and Rory are waiting for us, so I think we should return to them. What do you think, eh?"

Robyn grinned. "Are you going to dance?" she asked. "Because I'd like to see that!"

The Doctor did a little twirl on the spot, taking the little girl in his arms with a flourish. "Can't dance without a partner," he replied. "Well, you can, but sometimes dancing's better with two."

"So's travelling through time and space in a big blue box," Robyn countered. "It's much more fun when you've got someone to show the universe to."

"So it is," said the Doctor, with a small smile. He put Robyn back on the floor. "So it is."

Robyn reached into her pocket and took out the note again. "Do you mean it, Dad?" she asked quietly. "What you and Mum wrote?"

The Doctor remained silent for a few moments. Of course he meant what he wrote, he'd meant every word - all three of them. He nodded. "Yeah, he replied. "I meant it, and so does your mum."

With a wide smile spreading across her face, Robyn hugged him again, happy to know that at long last, after all that time...

She was loved.

"Come on," the Doctor said at last. "There's a man and his wife having a party, and they're waiting for us to turn up. Shouldn't keep them waiting, should we?"

"No, Dad."

**OoOoOoOoO**

It didn't take long for the Doctor to find his way onto the dance floor when he and Robyn returned to Amy and Rory's wedding reception. Of course, this lead to the only possible conclusion.

The Doctor danced.

The Doctor danced badly.

The Doctor danced very badly.

Amy laughed, watching the Time Lord as he jerked and gavotted across the floor. "You're terrible!" she exclaimed, raising her voice over the strains of Freddie Mercury. "That's embarrassing!"

Robyn giggled. "He's my Dad, Amy," she replied, trying to copy her father's movements. "He's supposed to be embarrassing!" She grinned. "Daggy dancing is the best kind of dancing."

"And don't you ever forget that, Amy Pond... Williams... whatever your name is now," the Doctor added, waving his arms in the air. "I'll have you know I'm the best dancer this side of Raxicoricofallapatorius!"

"Raxi-what?"

"Okay, not Raxicoricofallapatorius then," the Doctor corrected himself. "Klom. I'm the best dancer this side of Klom."

"Klom?"

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, just forget it," he said, shaking his head.

Amy laughed again. "Oh no, I'm not forgetting a thing, not now, not ever again," she told him. "Not when it was the only way to bring you back!"

"Yeah, and I am so glad that you did," Robyn replied, jumping on the spot. "Or I would've still been stuck in the orphanage right now." She danced over to her father, and let him twirl her around him. "Thanks to you, I've got a Dad again!"

Amy smiled. "And thanks to your Dad, I've got mine back too. Had to repay the favour somehow."

Robyn laughed as the Doctor lifted her high in the air. "Best day ever!" she crowed. She looked down at her father and grinned. "And the days are just going to get better, aren't they, Dad?"

The Doctor smiled back at her, but it was a bitter-sweet smile, as if there was one more thing he wasn't telling her. "Yeah, of course they are," he replied, putting her back on the floor.

The pair of them started dancing again, this time even more daggy than the first time, and the rest of the children who'd been invited to the wedding gathered around them, as Rory came over and led Amy back to one of the tables. Following Robyn's lead, all the children started copying the Doctor's movements, mimicking his actions perfectly. "This is my Dad," she told them gleefully. "The Drunken Giraffe!"

"I thought I heard someone call him the Doctor?" asked one of the children, another little girl.

Robyn nodded. "Oh, he's that too, but right now... he's dancing like a drunk giraffe!" She shrugged. "At least that's what Amy says."

But the Doctor was too caught up in his dancing, and the attention it was getting, to listen what they were talking about. "That's it. That's good," he told the group of kids. "Keep it loose!" He took Robyn by the hand and spun her around. "And don't forget to include your plus one!"

Robyn giggled. "Is that me?" she asked, letting him twirl her around him again. "Because I like the sound of that!"

"Yeah, that's you," the Doctor replied, lifting her into the air again. "Used to be your mum, though." He smiled sadly. "But now you're my plus one, and Rory and Amy..."

"They might still want to come with you," Robyn replied, as he put her down. "Just because they're married now, doesn't mean they want to stay here."

The music soon changed to a slow song, and all the couples, including Amy and Rory, took to the dance floor. The Doctor led Robyn away, somewhat reluctantly, but the two of them watched the newlyweds from the sidelines.

The Doctor smiled. "Two thousand years," he said, looking at his companions with pride. "The boy who waited. Good on you, mate."

"This is how fairy tales are supposed to end," Robyn said happily. "With the princess marrying her prince, and living happily ever after."

"Yeah."

Robyn looked up at her father, a strangely pensive expression on her face. "It's the one thing you can't have, isn't it?" she asked. "I mean, because of how dangerous your life gets, right?"

The Doctor nodded. "Usually," he replied, drawing her close. "But sometimes, the universe is strange, and ridiculous... and things happen..."

"And we call them miracles," Robyn finished, blushing deeply. "Is that what I am? A miracle?"

"Is that what you want to be?"

Robyn went quiet, thinking it over. "I like the sound of it," she murmured. "Robyn Guinevere Tyler... the Doctor's miracle."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You're not calling yourself Robyn Guinevere Lawson any more?"

"That's my past. You're my future, Dad."

"They were still your parents, for a while."

"I know, and I'll always love them, but..."

"You never felt right being with them, did you?"

Robyn nodded. "Something was missing, and I didn't realise what until the TARDIS materialised, and you came out."

"But you still kept that note you found by your bedside, even when I didn't exist."

"I knew it wasn't a joke when I realised that none of the girls back at the orphanage wrote the way you do, so I kept it, hoping I'd get to meet the person who did... and then when you came out of the TARDIS... I knew I found what I'd been missing." She smiled up at him. "I was missing you."

The Doctor smiled back, then gathered his daughter into a hug. "You're a lot like your mum, you know," he told her. "I mean, you're completely your own person, but there's bits of Rose in you, even if you can't see them yet."

"There is?"

"There is." He pulled away, standing up and taking her by the hand. "Come on. We'll go back to the TARDIS, and I'll show you."

"Should we tell them we're going?" asked Robyn, pointing to Amy and Rory. "In case they want to come with us?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No," he said sadly. "They've got each other now. Why would they want to continue travelling with daft old me?"

"I want to continue travelling with you, daft old father of mine."

"I know you do, but I'm not so sure about them."

Robyn frowned, but allowed him to lead her away from the party. "I think you're just being silly."

"Maybe I am. But we'll let them have their moment, and see what happens."

"Spoilsport."

**OoOoOoOoO**

Leaving the rest of the revellers to their own devices, the Doctor and Robyn returned to the TARDIS, hoping to slip off into the night, when something made Robyn stop dead in her tracks. It didn't feel right to just up and leave without giving Amy and Rory the choice to continue (since this was the only way she could properly describe it) travelling with her father, but he seemed so sure that now they were married, their days on the TARDIS, running, skipping, and hopping for their lives through time and space, were over.

Without looking back, the Doctor fished his TARDIS key out of his pocket, and fitted it to the lock. "Did you dance?" a voice asked behind him, and he stopped, turning to face the newcomer.

It was River.

"Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?" she said, smiling at him, and his daughter, warmly.

"You tell me," he replied, flashing her a wry smile.

A look of wonder crossed Robyn's face, and then she grinned. "River..." she murmured. "You _knew_ this was going to happen, didn't you?"

River gasped. "Spoilers," she said, smiling wickedly, as she closed the gap between the three of them.

The Doctor pulled out the blue book, River's diary, from underneath his arm, and gave it back to the mysterious woman. "The writing's all back, but I didn't peek," he told her, a mischievous glint in his eye that made Robyn a little unsure whether or he was telling the truth.

River smiled again, placing the book underneath her arm. "Thank you."

"Are you married, River?" the Doctor asked, handing her the vortex manipulator.

Robyn frowned, thinking this a very odd thing to ask, but at the same time, there was a little thing niggling at the back of her mind. River Song was the strangest, and yet not the strangest, woman she had ever met. She knew things about the Doctor, and quite possibly about her as well, that hadn't happened yet. For all she knew, River might have seen her when she was older, but this, for all intents and purposes, was their first meeting! She shook her head, putting the thought from her mind. It wasn't important whether or not River possibly knew her future, just that she was there, and that was a confusing thing in itself.

She knew that her father's first meeting with River, from his perspective, was at the Library, the day River Song died. She also knew that her father and River kept meeting in the wrong order, so there was bound to be moments where one knew the other's past, and one knew the other's future, and then somehow they would reach a point where they were both on the same page. That must've been the point of River's diary, she realised, so they could have a reference point, and then be able to work out what they could, and couldn't, say to each other in case they accidentally revealed the future.

Which must've made their adventures together a bit frustrating on her father's part, because while her father knew next to nothing about River, River knew all about him, and that wasn't something he liked at all, particularly when she stood there smirking and saying things about 'spoilers'.

"Are you asking?" she heard River reply, enigmatically.

"Yes," said the Doctor, hoping that this time he'd get a straight answer from the confusing and frustrating woman.

River smiled. "Yes," she echoed, putting on the vortex manipulator, and neither the Doctor nor Robyn were sure whether she was confirming that she was married, or interpreting the question as a marriage proposal.

The Doctor frowned, obviously thinking along the same lines. "No, hang on," he said, looking at River in confusion. "Did you think I was asking you to marry me, or asking if you were married?"

Robyn looked up at him in surprise. "What, am I going to have a mum one day?" she asked suddenly. "Is River going to be my mum?"

River looked down at her with a wide grin spreading across her face. "Yes," she repeated, to the Doctor's annoyance, and it was clear it wasn't going his way after all.

"No, but was that 'yes'?" he asked again, trying to get her to make things a little more clearer. "Or 'yes'?"

"Yes," River whispered huskily, and the Doctor knew that was all he was going to get out of her.

The Doctor smiled, then shook his head. "River," he sighed. "Who are you?"

"You're going to find out very soon now," she told him. "And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes." She pushed a button on the vortex manipulator, and vanished in a puff of smoke, a flash of blue light, and a burst of electricity.

"Are we ever going to know who she really is?" Robyn asked once River was gone. "Because that sounded like she's going to be your wife, and my mother, one day."

"It does sound that way, doesn't it?" the Doctor replied, continuing to stare at the spot River had just vacated. "Well, we'll find out what happens, when it happens, won't we?"

"Did you really leave her diary alone?"

The Doctor smiled. "Of course I did," he said. "What, do you think I'd ignore the rules that I... am going to put in place, and read her diary?"

Robyn smiled back. "I wouldn't put it past you," she countered. "But I think you told the truth, this time."

"Thank you. I'm glad to know that someone trusts me, even just a little bit."

"I trust you, Dad. Always will."

The Doctor took her by the hand. "It's time we were off as well," he said.

Robyn frowned. "I still don't like it that we're leaving without Amy and Rory," she said, looking up at her father in annoyance. "We could've told them we were going, or said goodbye."

"Maybe."

"What did River mean, anyway, when she said 'that's when everything changes'?" she asked, the look of annoyance melting away. "Is something going to happen to you? Because I don't want to lose you again, not now that I've only just got you back again."

The Doctor crouched, meeting his daughter's eye level, and regarded her carefully. "I don't know what she means," he replied quietly. "Not yet, and I don't think I will until we meet again. Who knows, maybe the next time we see River, I'll be the one saying 'Spoilers' and being generally annoying and brilliant."

"But Dad..."

"But nothing. I am not going anywhere, not now, not ever, and you are never going to lose me. We're going to travel the stars together, and get into trouble, and be generally annoying and brilliant." He smiled. "I promise."

Robyn smirked. "You promised Amy you'd come back for her, and you were late by fourteen years."

"So I was late. I still kept my promise though."

"Yeah, I guess you did."

The Doctor straightened. "Now, are you coming with me, or not?" he asked, holding her hand.

Robyn looked up at her father and grinned. "You bet I am."

"Then let's go."

**OoOoOoOoO**

Robyn giggled as the Doctor placed his top hat on the hat stand, then danced up the stairs to the console, removing his scarf with a flourish. It felt so good to be inside the TARDIS, her home, once again, with the father that she loved so much. For a moment, she wondered if they, back at the orphanage, thought she'd been kidnapped, or that she'd run away, but she knew that once the TARDIS had materialised in front of everyone at Amy and Rory's wedding reception, that the paperwork regarding her adoption now existed again.

Just like him.

She wondered if they would ever see Amy and Rory again, now that they were leaving, and she couldn't help feeling sad that she was losing the best friend she'd ever, yet never, had. But the Doctor and Robyn's little run in with River had given Amy and Rory the chance to catch up, once they'd realised that the little girl and her father had run off, and neither of them were about to let the Doctor get away so easily.

"Oi!" Amy cried, sticking her head through the front door. "Where are you off to? We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet!"

Of course, Rory wasn't impressed by his wife's joke. "Amy!" he cried indignantly.

"Shut up, it's my wedding," she shot back, flashing her beloved husband a wicked smile as she ascended the stairs and joined the Doctor and his daughter by the console.

"Our wedding," Rory corrected.

"Sorry, you two..." the Doctor said suddenly. "Shouldn't have slipped away. Bit busy, you know?"

Rory frowned. "You just saved the whole of space and time," he argued. "Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow."

"He's got a point there, Dad," Robyn chimed in. "You deserve a break, for a little while. Do we have to leave now?"

"Space and time isn't safe yet," the Doctor replied, revealing the last thing he figured out with his companions, and his daughter, at last. "The TARDIS exploded for a reason," he explained. "Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date and blew it up." He started pacing around the console, and the telephone began to ring, but, as usual, the Doctor ignored it. "Why? And why now?" He frowned, and the telephone continued to ring. "The silence, whatever that is, is still out there, and I have to..."

He shook his head. "Excuse me a moment," he murmured, and finally answered the telephone. "Hello!" He grinned. "Oh! Hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad line." The Doctor listened for a moment. "No, no, no, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk, I was at the prayer meeting. Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess, loose on the Orient Express." He gave Robyn, Amy, and Rory, a sly look out of the corner of his eye, and a hopeful smile danced on his lips. "In space. Give us a mo." He held the phone against his chest. "Sorry," he told them. "Something's come up, this will have to be goodbye."

Amy's face was passive, and so was Rory's. She nodded. "Yeah, I think it's goodbye," she agreed. She glanced at Rory. "Do you think it's goodbye?"

He nodded. "Definitely goodbye."

A wide grin spreading across her face, Amy ran back down the stairs, and back to the front door, opening it so she could take one last look at her house. "Goodbye!" she yelled, waving to it, for what she hoped was the last time in a long while. "Goodbye."

The Doctor grinned as his young companion returned to the console. "Don't worry about a thing, your majesty," he said, addressing the person on the other end of the call. "We're on our way."

"Where are we going, Dad?" Robyn asked with excitement, as her father hung up the phone, and began the de-materialisation sequence. "And is there really a version of the Orient Express in space?"

"Of course there is!" he replied. "You should've seen the Titanic!" The Doctor frowned. "Actually, forget about that," he corrected. "That was a very bad day for all involved."

Robyn frowned, then shook her head. "Okay, I'll take your word for it."

"Now," said the Doctor, taking his little girl by the hand and leading her to the hand brake. "Would you like to do the honours?"

"Would I?" Robyn reached out to the handle, and grinned when her father rest his hand on top of her own. "What, don't trust me to do it on my own?"

The Doctor laughed. "Maybe when you're older, dear." he said. He glanced at Amy and Rory, who were getting themselves into position around the console. "Hold on tight, you two," he told them. "The world's about to go just a little bit tonto." Under his careful guidance, Robyn pulled the lever down, and the TARDIS roared into life, sending the quartet spinning into the vortex, and off on their next adventure.

**OoOoOoOoO**


	10. Epilogue

**OoOoOoOoO**

But amidst all the excitement, Robyn almost forgot one small thing.

The Doctor had promised to show her what made her so much like her mother.

They were still in the vortex, so there was still a bit of time before they landed, she hoped, and she quickly ran back to her room, which was still there, exactly as she'd left it before everything had gone pear-shaped. She changed her clothes, carefully hanging the dress up in her wardrobe, then ran back to the console room, where her father was waiting. Amy and Rory weren't there, so they must have still been getting changed themselves. Her father was still in his tails, and it looked like he wasn't going to make a move any time soon.

This was her chance.

"Dad," Robyn called, skipping up the stairs. "You were going to show me something, before we were interrupted."

The Doctor regarded his daughter carefully. "Was I?" he replied, a wry smile playing on his lips.

Robyn nodded. "Yes, you were. You were going to show me what makes me so much like my mum."

"So I was." He straightened, then took her by the hand. "Come on then, let's go."

The Doctor led his daughter through the TARDIS, down corridors Robyn didn't remember existing until she walked through them, until they came to a door with the figure of a rose carved into the wood. There was no questioning who the room on the other side of the door belonged to, but Robyn still wondered why her father had brought her there. The Doctor pushed the door open, and led Robyn inside, and she noticed that it was very pink. The walls, the bedspread, everything about the room was pink.

"My favourite colour is pink," Robyn murmured, and the Doctor smiled. "I didn't know it was mum's too."

"Well, now you do," the Doctor replied, leading her over to Rose's old bed. "Sit here for a minute, and I'll get something for you."

Robyn sat down gingerly, not wanting to disturb what little traces of her mother were left on the bed, and waited patiently while her father ran from the room. She looked around, trying to understand why she felt such an affinity with the former occupant of the bedroom, but at the same time, she knew it was because the Bad Wolf had chosen her to be her mother.

"Here we go!"

Robyn jumped, as the Doctor returned, bearing a book in his hands. "What's that?" she asked.

"A photo album," the Doctor replied, sitting down on the bed next to his daughter. "It's got pictures of me and Rose in it, and it'll help me tell you what makes you and Rose alike." He opened the photo album, and the first thing that Robyn saw was a picture of a blonde woman, and a bald man wearing a leather jacket, standing together and looking happy.

"That's my mum," Robyn murmured, recognising the blond woman immediately. "She was the one who kept me safe when you were..." She trailed off, unable to bring herself to remember what had happened with the Pandorica. She shook her head. "Anyway, she was the one who kept me safe, wasn't she?"

The Doctor nodded. "Sort of," he replied. "That was the Bad Wolf, taking Rose's form, but if someone decided to subject you to DNA testing, the results would confirm you as Rose's, and my, biological daughter."

"So, there _is_ part of Rose in me," said Robyn, looking at the photo intently. It was like looking in a mirror, she realised, if the mirror was ten years older and blonde. She frowned. "But if that's my mum, then who's that?" she asked, pointing to the bald man.

"Uh, that was me," the Doctor said sheepishly. "I was angry, and full of survivor's guilt when I met Rose, and how I looked back then reflected that."

"How can that be you?"

The Doctor sighed. He knew he was going to have to explain regeneration to Robyn one day, he'd just hoped it wouldn't have come so soon. "When I die," he began quietly. "Every single part of me changes, and I wake up a completely new man. I wouldn't look like this any more."

"But you'd still be my Dad, right?" Robyn asked nervously. "That wouldn't change, would it?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, I'll never stop being your Dad. _Nothing_ would stop me being your Dad. I mean, I might wind up looking different from you, a little, or a lot, depending on what happens, but I'd still be your father."

Robyn smiled. "I'm glad." She turned the page in the photo album, and now a tall skinny man, wearing a brown suit, a long brown coat, and beige sneakers, stared up at her. Rose also stood beside this man, and both of them were all smiles, and it was obvious from the way they were holding hands that they were very much in love. "Is that still you?" she asked, pointing to the skinny man. "Is that what you looked like before you changed?"

"Yeah, this is how I looked before I changed, when Rose was still with me." The Doctor smiled sadly. "But she wasn't the only one to travel with that me, I had... have... other friends who travelled with me when I looked like that too."

"Why don't they still travel with you?"

"Well, Martha's got her husband, and her work, and Donna wanted to stay, but..." He shook his head. "I'm supposed to be telling you what makes you so much like Rose, not telling you about my old companions."

The bedsprings creaked as Robyn crossed her legs beneath her and turned to face her father. "There's plenty of time for you to do that, Dad," she said quietly. "I want to know about you, and the rest of your companions. I mean, you told me about Gallifrey, I remember that now, and you told me about Rory, then..."

"The business with the Pandorica, and the TARDIS exploding got in the way."

Robyn nodded.

"In that case," the Doctor replied, closing the photo album. "Where do you want to start?"

"I've heard the beginning is a pretty good place."

So that was what he did.

But he didn't mention that the end, and the beginning, could be the same thing.

After all, you couldn't have one, without the other.

The End.

**OoOoOoOoO**


End file.
